


Our Love Was Lost (But Now It's Found)

by Night_Hawk94



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), bughead - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Betty is also a Mechanic, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, It’s kind of a slow burn, Journalist!Betty, Love Confessions, Mechanic!Jughead, Minor Violence, Mutual Pining, Pining, Sharing a Bed, Smut, True Love, midnight swimming, minor physical abuse, serpent Jughead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2019-07-23 22:08:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 46,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16167842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_Hawk94/pseuds/Night_Hawk94
Summary: A Bughead AUAfter seeking a life beyond Riverdale and coming up empty handed and disappointed, Betty Cooper returns to her small home town with the hopes of repairing herself and starting over.It isn't long, however, until fate or maybe even destiny reunites her with her ex-boyfriend: the brooding, but kind hearted Jughead Jones - sparking within her a new craving for life and a surprisingly unexpected realisation that, despite the years that have passed, nothing has changed between them and it never will ....~*Based off a one shot I wrote a while back called “Stay” and inspired by the song Love Lost by The Temper Trap.*





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So the first chapter of my new fic is up!! I just want to say a big ‘Thank you’ to @fictitiousoshine for reading over this for me, you’re a gem .... To the rest of you, I hope you enjoy this new story of mine!! Xx 
> 
> I’ll try to update as often as possible!! :)

Dear Elizabeth Cooper,

I am pleased to inform you that your application of admission to Brown University has been accepted….

 _No_ , _no_ , _no_ , _no_ , _no_. _This_ _couldn’t_ _be_ _happening_. _Not_ _now_.

Wide eyed, Betty stared at the page for what felt like an entire age, trying to convince herself that what she had just read wasn't real. That this couldn’t be happening. That she was dreaming and that her heart had absolutely no reason to be twisting and thumping around in her chest, so rapidly. But it did.

It definitely did.

Sure, at 18, this was the type of letter she was supposed to receive. The type that had the ability to start shaping her future. The type she would've been happy about, if now was exactly two years ago, but not now. Not anymore. She tightened her grip on the paper in her hands, scrunching and almost ripping it apart as the reality of the situation slowly started to sink in.

She tried to swallow. Tried to breathe. But neither action came as easily as expected. The pain only mildly less than the obvious, and nasty twinge she could feel swirling around in the pit of her stomach. She had her ticket out. She had the key to starting a new life away from Riverdale in the palm of her hand, a dream almost every single young person in the sleepy town desired. Including her at one point.

When Betty had imagined her life at one point, going to Brown, becoming a journalist or a writer and moving to the city were just some of the things she had pictured. There was even a time when she was in fact convinced that no other future could possibly exist for her. But change can happen when you least expect it and so much had changed over the last couple of years that she wasn't exactly sure if that was what she wanted anymore.

Fear and uncertainty bubbled away and filled every available space inside her, forming doubt after doubt in her mind and then …

Then she was suddenly running, bursting through her front door and charging down the street, her feet carrying her towards the Southside of the town. Towards him. She didn't stop to consider anything in that moment. She didn't care that it was raining, or the fact that it was getting late.

She just needed to see him. Right now.

When Sunnyside trailer park came into view, Betty could barely distinguish the roads or the outlines of the trailers. Not that she really needed to. She'd been to the Southside enough times to know exactly where to go so she pushed herself forward, ignoring the sound of her heart thumping in her ears until she reached his families trailer.

Puffy eyed and drenched to the bone, she made it up the wooden steps and knocked maybe three or four times before the door opened and relief washed over her at the sight of _him_. 

There was something so normal, so natural about the way he looked in a pair of sweats and a white vest, his black hair messy and free from his signature crown beanie, that Betty almost forgot why she was there in the first place until she saw the obvious concern take shape in his striking blue eyes.

“Jesus Betts, what ... what are you doing here? -" Jughead began, pausing when he saw her shiver, noticeably from the cold, "God you're freezing, come here!" he said, gently pulling her inside and out of the icy rain.

Betty sighed and sagged against him with exhaustion, burrowing herself deep into his chest and letting his natural body heat warm her when he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She slipped her own arms around him in return and held on for dear life, allowing herself for the briefest of moments to enjoy the contact, to let herself believe that the letter in her back pocket didn't exist.

But it did.

As much as she wanted to stay in this moment forever, she knew that she couldn't.

"Betts," Jughead said after a while, speaking softly as he smoothed his hand over her back in a series of circles, "What's going on? Talk to me baby," he tried to pull back then, but Betty stopped him before he could, tightening her hold on him when she felt fresh tears prick her eyes.

“Betts," he tried to ease her back again only this time, she allowed it trying to wipe away the tears with the sleeve of her jersey, hoping that he wouldn’t notice them. But he did, catching a few stray ones with his fingers before she could get to them. "Talk to me, please!" he pleaded again, the worry in his eyes growing at a rapid rate now.

Betty was silent for a brief moment and out of habit she started to gnaw on her bottom lip. She kept her eyes fixed on him, searching the depths of his own while she deliberated what to say next. They'd been together for more than two years and had been best friends since they were children, and in all that time, before now, she had never struggled to tell him anything. This though … telling him this would be different, especially when she could already guess what his reaction would most likely be.

“I got in," Betty eventually said, her voice so soft that she wasn't sure if Jughead even heard her or not. A small part of her hoped that he hadn't.

"You got in?" he repeated as a question, clearly confused. Betty sighed and looked at him somberly as she reached into her back pocket, producing the letter. "I got into Brown,” she said again, handing it over to him. 

Still frowning, Jughead took the paper from her and Betty waited, watching him scan over the words until the confusion in his eyes shifted into a look that she could recognize anywhere. An odd mixture of shock, understanding, and heartbreak. It was all there, plain as day. Even though he was trying really hard to hide the last one.

“Wow, that's uh … that's -" Jughead stumbled over the words, not entirely sure what to say. Still clutching the letter in his hands, he walked over to the couch and sat down with a heavy sigh. "That … that's great, Betts," he eventually managed, his voice barely disguising his lack of enthusiasm, his demeanor as despondent and broken as hers. Betty closed her eyes and sighed quietly as she moved to sit down next to him, leaning closer until their shoulders were barely touching.

“Is it though?" she whispered. "Because I'm not sure it is that great to be honest." As soon as the words left her mouth Jughead stiffened, and frowned when he turned to look at her, his eyes narrowed and slightly serious.

“Betty, you better not be doing what I think you’re doing. We talked about this remember?"

"I know we did, but we had that conversation months ago, Jughead. You can't expect me to take that into consideration now!" Betty protested, remembering the talk they had at the beginning of their senior year about going to college. That all seemed like a lifetime ago now, and the more she thought about what was said that day, the more disheartened she felt. "I just - I don't know what to do." she added softly, trying to calm herself down.

They fell silent then and Betty used the time to try and prepare herself for what would undoubtedly come next, knowing that there was nothing she could really do to stop it. She eyed her boyfriend anxiously, desperate to hear him say something or anything at this point.

“I know the only reason why you don't want to leave is because of us and what we have, but you promised, Betty, you promised me that you wouldn't back out of going to college if you got in …" Jughead paused then, and a broken sigh fell from his lips when he saw fresh tears forming in the ducts of her eyes again. He shifted even closer to her as the result and Betty leaned into his touch when he caressed her cheek gently, his thumb brushing away the first tear as it fell and rolled over her skin.

It took a split second for his words to sink in and when they did, Betty found that they were eerily similar to what he had said to her that day in Pops when she promised him that she would pursue her dreams no matter the sacrifice. Months had passed since then and Betty had barely thought about that day or the commitment she made, certain that everything would work out or right itself like it usually did. Until now, she believed wholeheartedly that everything would be fine.

"So, you actually do want me to leave?" The words came out before she could think any better of it, a perfect example of a verbal vomit at its absolute worst, and she instantly regretted it, especially when she saw the floored and almost hurt look in Jughead’s eyes.

"What .. of ... of course I don't want you to leave, Betty!" Jughead all but yelled, clearly distraught. Then shaking his head in disbelief, he stood up and crossed to the other side of the small lounge. "God, if I had it my way I'd ask you to stay. I'd beg for fuck sakes! Because I want to have you here. I want to have dinner or breakfast or lunch with you at Pops all the time and watch movies on this shitty couch and fall asleep and wake up next to you every day, but I can't bring myself to do that. I won't!" he looked at her then, tears glistening in his eyes as well.

Betty stood up, her heart twisting and aching in her chest as she stepped towards him, slowly.

"I just can't risk it, Betts. I can't risk letting you give something like this up for me only to have you turn around in five or ten- or twenty years' time and look at me with regret and hatred in your eyes. I saw it happen with my parents and I just … I don't want us to go through anything remotely close to that." he whispered the words softly as Betty reached him, his voice breaking just a little when she cupped his face with her hands. They were both in tears now, not even trying to suppress their emotions anymore.

As much as it pained Betty to admit it, she knew that Jughead was right. Neither of them wanted this. She didn't want to leave him and like him, she didn't want a future where they could possibly hate or resent each other for anything either. Any which way you looked at it, she had gotten into Brown while his family could barely afford to send him to the local community college.

She felt a little foolish for forgetting that she had seen it first hand, how Jughead’s parents slowly splintered apart because of choices that were made in the past, and how that left him and his little sister, Jellybean, with very little to be happy about for a long time. She had no doubt that this was going to be hard as well. That walking away would be the hardest thing they would ever have to do to each other, but seeing him cry. Seeing him hurt. That was just as harrowing for her if not more.

Betty opened her mouth to tell him, then. To tell him that she was sorry. That everything would be alright. That she understood why he wanted her to go and why she simply couldn't stay, even though she really wanted to, but the right words escaped her. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. Nothing seemed novel or appropriate or reassuring enough for either of them right now, so she opted for the only words she'd been dying to tell him all evening, instead.

With both her hands still cupping his face, Betty moved slowly, rising up onto the tips of her toes until she was close enough to press her mouth to his, kissing him slowly and softly. She opened her eyes to look at him when they pulled apart, her stomach clenching with need when he gripped her hips gently and the dispirited look in his eyes shifted into something desirous.

"I love you, Juggie," she whispered then, barely catching her breath before he moved and settled his mouth over hers again in a desperate and deep kiss, one that expressed a lot more than his love for her.

He slid his hands lower and gripped the underside of her thighs, hauling her up against him and carrying her down the hall to his bedroom. Her fingers slipped into his hair as they went and she gasped his name when he pressed her up against a nearby wall and moved against her ever so slightly. She could taste him, taste the salt of his tears on his lips when he kissed her again, and she knew that even though they'd done this countless times before, this time it would be different in more ways than one.

Betty trembled and whimpered softly when Jughead lowered her down onto his bed and covered her eager body with his, their mouths and tongues meeting in a series of hot, heavy and intoxicating kisses as they pulled at each other's clothes until there was nothing left to discard, until there were no barriers between them.

Making love wasn't a new experience for either of them, but making love like this, definitely was.

It was slow and sensual at first, and then it was intense and passionate. Every touch, every breath, every kiss, and every caress they exchanged, was permanently etched into Betty's memory forever. She traced the lines of his subtly defined body and drank in his taste, his smell, fully aware that he was doing the same thing to her, loving the way his skilled mouth and large hands moved over every inch of her body, tasting, gripping and squeezing her as they went. They forgot about everything except each other in that moment and for hours after that.

It was only later on that evening when Betty was still awake, curled up beside Jughead with her head on his chest, that the intense feelings she had been fighting all evening finally overcame her. She felt so unbelievably warm and safe right here with him lying beside her, but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't suppress the devastation that had taken up residence in her heart now.

In no time at all everything about this scene would be different. She would be alone, in her own bed, sleeping in a dorm room somewhere in Rhode Island, very far away from him. She grimaced at the thought, tears once again pricking her eyes and she wondered how she would ever be able to sleep like that. Without him there. Holding her close. Loving her unconditionally.

She decided that it would be impossible.

Of course, they'd talked about trying a long distance relationship if this ever happened, but both of them eventually agreed, (rather reluctantly), that it would be too dangerous to risk exposing what they have to the harsh nature of life. Better to part on amicable terms than on irreconcilable ones. It was their best option, mostly because they both knew that it wouldn’t hurt as much. That it would do the least amount of damage.

She couldn't exactly argue with that logic, (even though she tried to think of a reason too), but more importantly, she couldn't argue because she knew that they were making the right decision.

With another heavy sigh, Betty snuggled into him even more and kissed his chest lightly, savoring the midnight moment even after she closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep.Somehow she knew, (or hoped), that this wouldn't be the end.

 

~•~•~

 

“I really think we should talk about it, Betts." Jughead said, eyeing out his girlfriend as she shifted beside him, trying to get even more comfortable than she already was.

It was late in the afternoon, the sun was slowly sinking towards the horizon and they were in a booth at Pops, enjoying the peace and quiet the retro space always offered them. But even the calm and easygoing atmosphere of Riverdale's one and only diner couldn't quieten Jughead's thoughts down. He'd been trying to broach the topic with her all day, but couldn't seem to find the right moment. He still wasn't sure if this was it, but they needed to talk about this. Sooner or later.

"You really want to talk about that after the incredible day we just had?" Betty asked, looking at him playfully, "Because I'd rather just enjoy my shake and fries to be honest."

Jughead rolled his eyes and smirked at her response. She had a point. They'd just spent most of the day on the grassy banks of Sweetwater River, swimming in the cooling water and enjoying the remaining hours of the soft Summer day with no one else around except them. Perfect wasn't a word either of them liked to use to describe anything, but days like these always made them reconsider that.

After a day like today, he couldn't blame her for wanting to avoid the subject altogether, but sadly, things still needed to be said. Summer was almost over and their senior year was upon them. In a year’s time, they would be going off to college. Like most things in life, it was inevitable. He knew that just like he knew that it was Betty's dream to go to Brown one day. He winced at the thought, trying to remind himself that he had plenty of time to prepare himself for that horrible day, should it come.

"You see, this is why I don't want to talk about it." He heard Betty say, the unmistakable sound of her soft and concerned voice pulling him from his thoughts immediately.

“I know," he said quietly, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. He kissed her temple and nuzzled her loose blonde hair, the simple action filling his senses with the delicious smell of vanilla and jasmine that always lingered on her. "I know you don't baby, but we have to talk about it at some point." he finished.

"Yeah, I know we do." Betty sighed as she reached for one of her remaining french fries and took a bite, chewing on it nervously. He smiled crookedly and swallowed back his laughter as he watched her, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear.

“Look, I don't really want to talk about this either. I just want you to promise me one thing," he said, turning to face her properly. He caught Betty's gaze then and held it, softening his own as much as possible to try and comfort her when he noticed how uneasy she looked.

“Just promise me that you won't let anything stop you from going to college."

It sounded like a fairly simple request, one she accepted immediately and without hesitation. She even smiled happily and joked that she thought the promise was going to be a lot worse than that, but it wasn't that easy, unfortunately.

He studied her for a moment, drinking in her stunningly beautiful features, wishing that he didn't have to make his point clear to her. But he needed her to understand.

"I mean it Betts, you can't give it up for anything," he pressed, "Not even me."

As soon as he said the words, Jughead watched her smile fade a little and his heart twisted almost painfully in his chest when he saw that she finally understood what he meant. In many ways, they really were on borrowed time now, because even if he was lucky enough to get into a university like Brown they both knew that his parents would never be able to afford it and while he was really good at English that alone wouldn't be enough for a scholarship.

It wasn't fair by any stretch of the imagination, but he wouldn't let that be the sole reason why she decided not to follow her dreams when she had the chance. He wouldn't let them become his parents. Two people who completely hated each other because of what was said and done before. So despite the fact that he loved her more than anything else in this world, he knew that they would have to go their separate ways at some point. That it was inevitable. Now she had to understand that as well.

Jughead could see the resistance forming in Betty's eyes while he waited for her to say something. He could tell that she wanted to argue with him and he was beyond relieved when she sighed quietly and moved closer to him instead, caressing the lines of his jaw before she leaned in and kissed him slowly, gently. Her lips soft and budding against his. Her way of accepting the reality of the situation like he had hoped she would.

"I promise, Juggie." she whispered then, pulling his lips back down to hers and kissing him again seconds later.

 

~•~•~

 

The sun had barely risen when Betty woke up the following morning in Jughead's arms, with her head resting on his bare chest and their legs tangled up beneath the sheets. Blissful memories from last night flooded her mind and she pulled back a little to look at him. She studied his handsome lines and features, for what would probably be the last time for a very long time. She winced at the notion, tears trickling down her cheeks once again as she snuggled back into him and kissed his skin, naively wishing for this moment to never end.But she knew it would. Eventually.

She felt Jughead stir awake then and she closed her eyes when he smoothed a hand over her back a few times and dropped a gentle kiss to her forehead, holding her close in the stillness and the faded light that surrounded them.

“You okay?” he asked quietly, his voice still thick with sleep. Betty nodded, keeping her eyes closed and her mouth shut, afraid that he would call her bluff if she actually spoke. “Because I’m not,” he added in a whisper, his voice breaking a little. Betty froze and then lifted her head to look at him, immediately seeing the fresh tears that stained his eyes now. She brushed them away and pressed kiss, after kiss to his mouth.

“I hate this so much," she mumbled into his neck, sobbing brokenly with him when he tightened his arms around her waist in response, trying to comfort her as best as he could.

“I know, believe me I do too … I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry, Betts ..." he murmured the words over and over again, his voice barely above a whisper and choked with sadness. They stayed like that for what felt like ages, encapsulated in each other’s warmth and prolonging their remaining time together until they simply couldn't anymore.

Everything happened quickly and in a bit of a haze, after that. They didn't say much while they showered and then ate breakfast together, neither of them really wanting to face what was coming, and before Betty knew it, she was straddling the back of Jughead's motorbike with her arms around his torso, speeding towards her family’s home on the Northside of Riverdale.

The closer they got and the further they pulled away from the Southside, the more despondent she became.

No, she wasn't ready to say goodbye to any of it.

When Jughead parked his bike along the sidewalk outside her house and killed the engine, Betty stayed seated longer than she normally would have, building and saving one more memory. She always loved going for rides on his motorbike. She loved how intimate it was. How the wind tickled her skin as they sped off together. How she always felt so incredibly safe with him.

Now it was just another thing she would miss.

"Betts …" Jughead dropped his hand down to hers when she didn't move, giving them a soft squeeze. She linked her fingers with his and returned the pressure, kissing his back and whispering that she was sorry too. That she was sorry for all of this.

“I didn't think this day would actually come," Betty admitted softly, giving him a lopsided smile when she climbed off the bike and turned to face him. She took off his helmet and looked at it, tracing the lines of the crown he’d scratched onto it before she handed it back to him.

"I don't think either of us did, to be honest," Jughead said, climbing off the bike as well. He leaned back against it and stuffed his hands deep in the pockets of his Sherpa jacket, keeping his eyes on the ground for a moment.

An awkward silence fell between them and Betty fiddled with the sleeve of her jersey while she waited, neither of them entirely sure what to do or say, apparently.

It was no surprise given that this was the exact moment that they had both been dreading since last night.Seconds passed before Betty finally sighed, ready to say something when Jughead suddenly cleared his throat, beating her to the punch.

"You know this isn't the end, right?" he said quietly, lifting his blue eyes up to her green ones, smiling crookedly, "We'll see each other again."

“Will we?" Betty asked softly. She saw the hopeful look he had in his eyes then, and it chased away her doubts almost immediately, long enough for her to actually believe him anyway.

"Yes we will, because I love you," Jughead said confidently, stepping towards her and cupping her face with his hands, "Just keep me in mind, Betts and I promise I'll always be here, waiting for you."

“I will, and I love you too, Juggie. Always." Betty promised in return, whimpering softly when he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her slowly, deeply, lingering there until they were forced to pull apart, for no other reason than the basic need to breathe.

If she thought that saying goodbye would be extremely difficult, she definitely didn't consider how hard it would be to turn her back on him and actually walk away. She allowed herself to look back only once, long enough to see him smile at her almost boyishly and wave goodbye. The sight crushed her almost shattered heart even more.

Each and every step was close to impossible after that and it was only when she reached the house, that all of the emotions she'd been suppressing finally caught up with her. She barely made it inside, barely closed the door behind her before her throat closed up and she collapsed back against it, gasping for breath and in a mess of tears, completely and utterly ruined.

She cried for him. For them. For all the love they shared together, barely aware of the fact that in that exact moment, he was just as distraught as her.

Riddled with so much pain and anger, Jughead barely made it down the road before he finally pulled over and practically fell off his bike in a messy state, grief-stricken tears spilling from his eyes now at an unforgiving rate. His heart just as trampled and broken and battered, as hers.

They were both wrong it seemed.

Because this option did hurt.

It hurt like hell.  
 


	2. Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Two is finally up — A very special thanks to my amazing beta @fictiousoshine for helping me with this story. You truly are amazing!!!

Tired, angry and frustrated beyond words, Betty slammed her hands down on the steering wheel and cursed, loudly. After a long day of nonstop packing and then driving, here she was, parked along the side of the road in the pouring rain with not just one, but two flat tyres.

How was that even possible? How on earth could she be that unlucky?

“God, could this damn stupid day get any worse!” she said through gritted teeth, slumping back against the car seat with a heavy, irritated sigh.

Betty closed her eyes then, taking a moment to breathe and to try and compose herself, amply aware of the fact that she didn’t have time to waste. It was already dark outside and she was supposed to be in Riverdale a little more than two hours ago. But after a long day of wading, through a series of ridiculous delays that kept popping up at the worst possible times, she’d been forced to leave her old life behind, a little later than she’d originally planned.

With another sigh, Betty reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, expecting to see an endless stream of missed calls and messages from her easy-to-panic mother, only to be immensely surprised when she didn’t see any, at all. A little perplexed, she frowned and typed out a quick text to her mom anyway, telling her that she was just running late and would be there soon because as much as she welcomed this apparent new found patience from her mother with open arms, she wasn’t about to test it, or take advantage of it in any means.

Subsequently, Betty searched for 24 hour towing services in the area, scrolling through the short list of names before she finally spotted a familiar one - Manny's Mechanics.

If she remembered correctly, Manny's Mechanics was situated somewhere on the Southside of Riverdale, which, she figured was still about 20 or even 30 minutes away. Having not many options at the moment, she shrugged and dialed the number. It took a long while before someone finally answered the phone.

“Hello?”

Betty hesitated and bit her lip, a little surprised by how young the person on the other end of the line sounded. She quickly pushed that thought aside though, realizing that she had no right to be fussy at this point.  

“Um hi, is this Manny's Mechanics?” She asked, feeling a little foolish by her lack of confidence.

“It sure is ma'am, can I help you with something?”

Betty sighed with relief and explained her predicament at once only to be left a little stunned when the young man agreed to help, promising (a little too eagerly) to come to her aid as quickly as possible. She thanked him and ended the call, feeling the first semblance of calm and control that she’d had all day, wash over her senses.

With nothing left to do but wait, Betty closed her eyes again and listened to the sound of the rain softly tapping the car windows. She was absolutely finished and wanted nothing more than for this day to just end, certain that she would feel better again once it did. Unable to suppress her exhaustion anymore, she yawned and settled in, finally letting the sleep she had been craving since she had left New York City behind, take over.

 

~

 

It felt like only a few minutes had passed before Betty woke to sound of someone tapping on something and a bright light shining in her eyes. She blinked and squinted against it, a little startled and still groggy from the brief nap she’d managed to have until her eyes adjusted and she saw exactly what it was that stirred her up from slumber. 

“Did you call for a tow truck, ma’am?” The young man asked, his vaguely familiar voice slightly muffled by the car window between them.

“Oh um, yes .. I ... I did,” Betty opened the door and climbed out of the car gingerly, stretching her sore and stiff limbs a little. She looked around the deserted, forest-lined road and despite the situation, she smiled slightly. The rain must’ve stopped while she was sleeping and the cold air it left behind was mildly refreshing, waking her up in an instant.

“I’m sorry I took a little longer than expected to get here, by the way,” The young mechanic said, bending down on one knee to check out the damaged wheels, “Looks like you were a little unlucky here,” he added a moment later, reaching out to touch the tread on one of the flat tyres.

Betty simply nodded, folding her arms over her stomach. “Yeah, I uh … I haven’t had the best day, to be honest.” 

“So I see, but don’t worry, I’ll get the things squared away here in no time.”

The mechanic stood up and smiled when he turned around to face Betty. He definitely was young. Maybe in his early twenties, and the combat boots, untucked flannel shirt and faded jeans he wore only added to his friendly and carefree demeanor. The sight of him with his slightly unkempt dark hair and his lopsided smile was oddly familiar though, reminding her of her past. Reminding her of him. So much so that it actually tugged and pulled at her heartstrings, painfully. Mercilessly.

Betty rubbed her chest a few times and swallowed thickly, blinking back the tears and pushing the thought away immediately. A series of actions she always carried out whenever something like this happened. It wasn’t anyone’s fault really. Just seeing someone in a flannel shirt or with messy black hair or with light blue eyes or even hearing the sound of a motorbike nearby, was enough to set her off sometimes.

“Thank you, I’d really appreciate that,” Betty eventually managed, returning his smile as best as she could.

He went on and introduced himself as Tripp, and after helping Betty unload her boxes of possessions from the car, he hooked it up to his tow truck. He offered to drive her into town then and after a brief moment of hesitation, she accepted it, realising that she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Especially given the current circumstance she’d found herself in. 

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Betty asked, still a little uncertain, “Because I can always call someone to come and pick me up.”

“I really don’t mind, ma’am,” Tripp insisted with a genuine smile, opening the door for her. “Besides, I’m not about to leave you stranded out here in the cold till someone comes to get you. So, hop in!” 

Normally, Betty would’ve argued or she would’ve tried to exert her independent streak at the very least, but if she was being realistic, she knew that there was nothing she could gain from being headstrong in the current situation. So she relented and climbed into the truck and settled into the passenger seat with a content sigh, feeling as though the things were finally going her way, for once.

The drive was mostly quiet, though much to Betty’s amusement, Tripp spent most of it tapping his hands on the steering wheel and happily humming along to songs that played over the radio. When they entered the Northside though, his silence was finally broken when Betty told him to turn onto Elm Street instead of continuing on to the local hotel like he probably expected.

“So I’m guessing you’re from around here then?” he said, turning the truck as instructed.

Betty smiled slightly and looked at him, easily spotting the curious glance he gave her even in the poor light that filled the truck’s cab.

“Born and raised actually, but I’ve been living out of town for the last seven years which is probably why you’ve never seen me before.”

”That makes sense,” he said nodding, “Is there any particular reason why you’ve decided to come home now?”

He was just making small talk, but as soon as the words left his mouth Betty felt her anxiety prickle its way to the surface, once again reminding her that there wasn’t just one but a whole plethora of reasons why she was back in Riverdale after all this time. None of which, she really wanted to talk about right now, so she shrugged and said that she simply missed being home, which technically, wasn’t a lie.

When they pulled up in front of the house a short while later, Betty steeled herself before unlocking the car door. As she got out, her sneakers touching the sidewalk, she looked at her childhood home for the first time in years, her eyes taking in it's glossy white walls and the cracked concrete steps that still led up to the red front door. It still looked the same, almost like no time had passed since the day she’d left for Brown. Since the day they’d said goodbye, and for obvious reasons that fact alone made her heart ache even more.

“Well, your car should be fixed up by tomorrow morning so you can come by anytime to get it, okay,” Tripp said as he unloaded the last box from his truck. He gave her a business card with contact details and directions on it, reminding her to ask for him if she came by. Betty thanked him and pocketed it with a smile.

“Are you sure you don’t want any help with those?” he asked, glancing between the boxes and the distance between the sidewalk and the front door.

“I’ll be fine, but thanks again for doing this and for bringing me here,” she said, bending down to pick up a box as an act of reassurance. They said goodbye after that and just as Tripp pulled away from the sidewalk Betty heard the front door open behind her, followed closely by her mother’s unforgettable and overly concerned voice.

“Finally! Where on earth have you been, Betty?” Alice exclaimed, hurrying over to her daughter and somehow pulling her in for a hug, completely ignoring the box Betty had in her hands.

This type of response wasn’t a surprise by any means.

Her well-meaning, but slightly hair-brained mother; Alice Cooper had a tendency to overreact at times and while she had clearly managed to restrain herself quite effectively up until now, it was pretty obvious that she had been very worried. Betty couldn’t blame her for the most part. Anyone would feel the same way if they were in her mother’s shoes right now.  

“Mom, I’m fine and I’m -”

“- Well of course you’re fine, you’re here!” Alice interrupted with a slight huff. She pulled back to look at her daughter then and the concern in her eyes only intensified the guilt Betty already had swirling around inside her. “What happened sweetheart? Why did you need a tow truck?”

It only occurred to Betty now that in her dazed and overly tired state she hadn’t explained the flat tyre situation to her mother in her text earlier and given that it was well past ten o’clock now, the whole process to get here had taken a little longer than she had anticipated. 

“Oh Um, it was nothing serious. I got two flats and needed a tow, but I’m fine and I’m really sorry I didn’t say anything before I was just -” but her apology was cut off mid-sentence when Alice leaned forward and hugged her again tightly. She savored the moment, unaware until now of how much she had missed this.

“It’s fine, it’s fine … as long as you’re okay. As long as your not hurt.” Alice cooed, smiling softly when she pulled back to look at Betty again, “Come on, let’s get you inside.”

Even though it had been happening for years now, Betty still wasn’t used to her mother being so understanding and calm when it came to matters like this. In the past, an excuse like the one she had just given would’ve been met with a well-that’s-not-good-enough-Elizabeth kind of response, but ever since she had left for college and they’d spoken about the major flaws of their past relationship, Alice had seen the error of her ways and slowly but surely started to relinquish the strict control she had over her daughters life until it was almost nonexistent. 

Their overall dynamic was much better as a result. Stronger. More open and filled with a deeper level of trust than before. Which was a good thing because they really only had each other these days.

“Are you hungry?” Alice asked as they entered the house, both weighed down by boxes, “There’s some shepherds pie in the oven if you want it.”

Betty placed the box on the floor and giggled softly when she straightened up and her stomach rumbled loudly, practically begging her for something to eat. With all the stress of the day she’d just been through, food had been the last thing on her mind and it horrified her when she realised that she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast that morning.

“That sounds really good actually. Let me just get the last box and I’ll grab some.” she made for the door, but Alice gently stopped her. 

“You go ahead and get something to eat, I’ll get the last one.”

Betty smiled gratefully and fresh tears suddenly filled her eyes before she collapsed into her mother’s arms again, completely overwhelmed by the gentle yet normal gesture and everything else that had happened that day. She cried out her sorrows, her anxiety, and exhaustion.

All of it rolled into one as Alice held her daughter close and tried to lull her with words of encouragement. It was a rare moment between them. One that Betty never wanted to end. Her mother knew what she had been through over the last few years. That this was probably the first time in a long time that things had been this easy for her. Betty had told her everything and all she could do right now was appreciate the empathy of the moment and the comfort it brought.

 

~

 

The house still looked the same. It still felt the same. Neat. Clean. Everything properly placed and exactly where it was meant to be. 

From her spot at the finely polished dining room table, Betty could see the family photos on the mantlepiece above the fireplace in the lounge. All of them were still there even the ones that still had her father and sister in them. She hadn’t seen Polly in person for a while now. Not since she and Alice had a falling out over something, a few years ago. But they spoke over the phone every so often and ever since her parents had finalized their divorce, her dad would call maybe once a month to catch up and talk.

Truthfully, when they came to visit at the end of her first year at Brown and told her they were separating, Betty wasn’t that surprised. In fact, she’d kind of expected it. She knew that their marriage had been anything but happy for a very long time and she’d guessed that they had kept up the facade for her and Polly’s sake. Of course, like any child, she hoped that her parents would stay together forever, but not at the expense of their own happiness.

“Are you feeling a little better now?” Alice asked, the sound of her voice pulling Betty from her thoughts immediately.

“A little,” she said, pushing around the last of her food with a fork, “Thank you for helping me and for letting me stay here, mom. I really appreciate it and promise I’ll try and get my own place as soon as I can.”

“Oh don’t be ridiculous, Betty!” the older woman scoffed, “You know that you can stay here for as long as you need to and that you can take as long as you want to get back on your feet. You don’t even have to start work right away. There’s absolutely no rush.”

“I know,” Betty sighed, “And believe me I appreciate that, but I feel like I need to be productive in some way. I can’t just sit around here and do nothing.”

Alice nodded in agreement, but her eyes, the same deep emerald green as her daughters, did a poor job of trying to hide her apprehension.

“I understand Betty, but you’ve been through a lot and -“

“- I know, mom,” Betty said, interrupting her gently, “And I know you’re worried about me, so I promise I’ll take it easy, but I … I can’t be idle right now. I need to be busy.”

Even though she saw the logic and reason behind her mother’s words, if there was one good thing that came from her strict and unconventional childhood - it was knowing that doing nothing in a time like this, in the time of crisis was basically admitting defeat. She couldn’t stop. She didn’t want to. Not right now anyway. It was too fresh. Nearly every moment for the last three years (or since the day she left Riverdale if she was being entirely honest with herself) had been nothing close to what she expected or hoped it would be. Obviously, not all of it was bad, but then again, a lot of it wasn’t good either. A simple yet unavoidable fact of life.

Right now she needed to be distracted more than anything else and working at the Riverdale Register or finding a way to try and pick herself up again, would be a really good place to start.

Thankfully her mother sighed and relented to the idea, silently agreeing to not press the topic any further, for tonight at least. Realistically Betty knew she couldn’t avoid the past forever. She wouldn’t let herself.

She ate the rest of her food in between bouts of small talk, about how the trip was, how Archie and Veronica were and about starting work on Monday. With Betty stepping in to write for the register now, Alice agreed to simply edit and approve the stories before they ran.

By the time Betty went to bed, sleep was hard to come by.

Despite how tired she was, she lay in her childhood bed wide awake, surrounded by the pink walls of her room that hadn’t changed since the day it left them. It was weird being in a place that felt so static. Like it was frozen in time.  

It was also hard. 

Everywhere she looked, in this room and the subsequent house, she saw a memory. Some good, some bad, but all of them as fresh as the day they were made. It created an odd sense of sentimental nostalgia inside her. Because while some of the moments that had played out in here were nice and worth remembering, others were tinged with bitterness or were just downright painful to relive again.

With a frustrated groan, Betty threw back the pastel covers and flicked on her bedside light, completely ready to distract herself by unpacking some of her things when she suddenly saw it.

She froze immediately, her wide eyes moving over the words that were crudely carved into the side of the table next to her bed. Her heart squeezed in her chest and all the air in her lungs slowly started to vanish when she reached out and traced each letter with shaky fingers.

She gasped softly and closed her tear-rimmed eyes as one more memory flittered her mind … only this time she didn’t try to stop it.

 

_~•~•~_

 

_“She’s going to see it.”_

_“And?”_

_“And aren’t you worried that she’ll lock this place up tighter than Fort Knox so you can’t get back in here?”_

_Jughead chuckled warmly beside her and Betty could almost guess what was on his mind right now, especially when she saw the way his lips curled into a playful smirk._

_“I’d like to see her try.” he murmured as he finished carving the last letter into the wooden surface with his pocket knife. He folded the blade back into the handle before he wiped his hand over the finished product and pulled back to admire it._

_Sensing that he was finally done with his latest ‘masterpiece’, Betty grinned and moved closer to him, eager to see it as well._

_He was lying on his side, still shirtless from their earlier tryst, his olive toned skin warm and smooth against hers when she cuddled into his back and rested her chin on his shoulder, trying to get a better look at the carved piece of work._

_For whatever reason he’d taken to carving messages into things these days. She actually found it fascinating. Whether it was a tree, a rock or a serviette, if he was in the mood to say something, he would scratch a message onto its surface. He was a writer by nature and everything he wrote was worth reading. But out of all the messages he’d written lately, this one had to be her favorite simply because it was meant for her and only her._

_She smiled softly and kissed Jughead’s neck, snaking her arm around him in a hug, her fingers tracing the dips and lines of his subtly defined torso._  

 _“I love it Juggie, but she’s definitely going to see that.”_  

_“So?” Jughead scoffed, “She probably suspects that I sneak in here all the time anyway, now she finally has some proof.”_

_He shifted onto his back then and Betty rolled her eyes when she saw the way he was looking at her. Amused. Like he wasn’t that worried about having to face the possible wrath of Alice Cooper, in a way she wasn’t either. She knew that there was nothing her mother could really do to stop them from seeing each other. Even if she got yelled at, seeing his message every night would be worth it._

_“Is that why you did it?” she asked, raising her eyebrows at him coyly._

_“Maybe,” Jughead teased, his crooked smile growing into a full blown grin as Betty giggled and settled herself on top of him a little more. She kissed him then, their lips meeting tenderly and he wrapped his arms around her bare waist, smoothing his hands over her soft skin, keeping her close._

_When they pulled apart Betty smiled brightly and trailed her finger along the line of his jaw, taking in how carefree and handsome he was right now - he always was, in these moments that were purely theirs._

_“I love it when you’re here,” she whispered after a while, kissing him again when he cupped her face with his hand and pulled her back down to him, connecting their lips soundly._

_She wasn’t lying. Just like the first time Jughead had climbed the ladder up to her window and kissed her when they were fifteen, Betty always felt a thrill of pure happiness shoot right through her whenever he repeated that life changing scenario. Especially because it always came with a lot more than just a simple kiss these days._

_“And I love being here,” Jughead breathed when they parted, stroking his thumb over the apple of her cheek, “But on the nights when I can’t be, promise me you’ll always remember one thing.”_

_“What’s that?” Betty asked._

_He smirked and simply pointed to the table where his latest message to her was permanently etched now. She looked at it and nodded, her heart bursting as she promised him unconditionally that she would. She rested her head on his chest after that and smiled when she felt him nuzzle and kiss her hair, reaching her hand out to touch his words to her;_

_“I love you,” signed J._

 

_~•~•~_

 

When Betty woke up the following morning the first thing she noticed was that she was alone and that she was lying on the couch downstairs.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly, recalling the events from last night and how she ultimately ended down here. She remembered the flat tyres. The mechanic named Tripp. The drive into town. The conversation with her mom and finally, the carving on her bedside table. The message he’d put there all those years ago. As soon as she saw it the memory of that night came flooding back with a vengeance.  

As excessive as it sounds, there was absolutely no way she could fall asleep after seeing those words again. Even though years had passed she still couldn’t handle the pain that usually came with thinking about him. Not now. Not on her first night back.

So she watched TV downstairs instead until she finally fell asleep on the couch.

With a long yawn, Betty stood up and made her way upstairs to shower the previous night away and change for the day ahead. It felt really good to be clean again. To wear her hair loose instead of in a tight ponytail. To wear sneakers over high heels. To put on a pair of jeans and her favourite hoodie (both of which she had to dig out of one of the boxes) instead of a fancy but restrictive woman’s business suit. It felt good to be herself again.

It was still relatively early by the time she came downstairs, changed and semi refreshed. Soft morning light trickled through any crevasse it could find, lighting up and filling even the deepest corners of the house. Unsurprisingly Betty found her mother awake and in the kitchen already making breakfast.

“Good morning sweetheart,” Alice said happily, flipping the pancake she was cooking, “Did you sleep well?”

Betty shrugged and helped herself to some freshly brewed black coffee. Normally she would have milk, but after last night she needed a proper dose of untainted caffeine.

“Well enough,” she said, leaning back against the countertop, “I struggled at first, but I eventually managed.”

Alice regarded her for a moment and Betty could immediately tell that she wanted to say something, or maybe bring up their conversation from last night and she was relieved when her mother just smiled and kept it to herself instead.

“Well it’s a Saturday, so just take it easy and maybe take some time to try and get settled in. No unexpected surprises, okay?”

Betty rolled her eyes, wondering how she was supposed to try and avoid something that would be unexpected.

“I will, mom. You have my word,” she promised anyway, smiling when Alice plated the last pancake and then handed them over to her.

Breakfast went by quickly and after helping her mom clean up the kitchen, Betty saw that it was almost nine o’clock. She remembered Tripp saying that she could come by anytime in the morning and given that she would be walking to the Southside, she figured now would be an ideal time to leave. If she was early and had to wait for a little, she wouldn’t mind.

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket then, and she pulled it out.

 _V: Hey B, just checking in to make sure you got home safely._  

As soon as Betty saw Veronica’s name on the screen a staggering amount of guilt washed over her. With everything that had happened last night she’d completely forgotten to tell her best friend that she was fine and had arrived in Riverdale safely

_B: Hey, I’m here and everything’s fine. I’m sorry I didn’t call last night. I ran into some problems and completely forgot._

Betty waited for a reply and found herself laughing a few seconds later when, in true Veronica fashion, a phone call came through instead. 

“So when you say ‘ran into some problems’ what exactly does that mean?” her best friend demanded as soon as Betty answered the call.

“It means that I hit traffic leaving the city and somehow got two flat tyres about half an hour outside of town,” Betty explained with a laugh. 

“Ugh, that’s so typical. I told Archie that car was too old ..... but you are okay, right? because I was this close to sending him out to find you?”

Betty grinned. Anyone else in this situation would probably think that her friend was just being silly and over dramatic, but she knew better. After years of friendship she could easily picture Veronica Lodge forcing her boyfriend; Archie Andrews, who also happened to be Betty’s best friend, to drive all the way from New York City to Riverdale just to check on her. The idea wasn’t too far fetched at all. 

“Yes, I promise I’m fine, V.” Betty replied with a laugh, “No need to send Archie hurdling after me.”

“You know he would’ve come in a heartbeat, right,” Veronica said softly and Betty could practically see the smile she was most likely wearing right now. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling as well, fully aware that Archie would do that.

“Yeah, I know.”

They spoke for a while before ending the call and with every word that had exchanged between them, Betty couldn’t help but remember how Archie and Veronica had been her biggest saving grace. They took her in and helped her when she needed them the most and those three months of sanctuary would always be invaluable to her. 

Later on, Betty said goodbye to her mom and left the house, leisurely making her way to the Southside. It was summer in Riverdale and she had almost forgotten how beautiful the small town looked this time of year. In fact, Riverdale was always beautiful no matter the season. It was still cloudy and the wind was a little chilly, but for whatever reason walking the town’s familiar streets made the whole experience worthwhile.

Despite her relatively calm demeanor on the surface, for obvious reasons, Betty was dreading this trip into the Southside of town. With every step she took, the more she wished she’d asked her mother to do this instead of her.

It had been seven years since the last time she’d seen him and not a day went by when she didn’t miss or think about him and the love they shared once. Being back home, seeing that message again and going into the Southside. All of this combined would surely dredge up some unwanted emotions.

She often thought about what he’d gotten up to over the years. Was he even in Riverdale? Was he still in the Southside? If they interacted at all over the years it was to wish each other a ‘Happy Birthday’ or a ‘Merry Christmas’. It never went any further than a ‘How are you?’ or a ‘Hope you are well’” (even though sometimes Betty wished it would) because they both knew that, up until now anyway, they were both on different paths. That it would be less painless this way. More bearable.

Manny’s workshop was still exactly where it had been all those years ago; on the edge of the Southside, next to the train tracks.

Betty stopped and took in the sight, thinking that like everything else in this town, it still looked exactly the same as the day she’d last seen it.  

Like the rest of the Southside, it was old. A large stand-alone, double story structure made out of red face brick with the garage alongside it. She moved close and rolled eyes when she noticed that parking lot out front was still unpaved and that more old abandoned cars lined the edges of it.

She smiled, wondering if Manny would remember that conversation or not.

Luckily, Betty didn’t have to look far to find Tripp. She barely took two steps into the workshop before he appeared out of nowhere, smiling brightly and as enthusiastic as he was last night. Something she considered to be an impressive feat.

“So your car’s almost ready. We’re just doing the realignment and then you’ll be all set,” he explained, pointing to Archie’s old silver Jeep which had been taken out of storage just for her. “It shouldn’t take too long if you don’t mind waiting?”

“I don’t,” Betty said, smiling at him when she noticed that he seemed a little anxious about making her wait.

“Okay,” he said, relieved, “I promise it won’t be too long, ma’am,” he added as he headed deeper into the workshop towards the back.

Betty stood off to the side, waiting idly and attuning herself to sounds that surrounded her. The clanking metal. The drills. The voices echoing around the room. All of it was like music to her ears. For as long as she could remember she’d always been a grease monkey, jumping on every opportunity she could to help her dad fix up his old Mustang. A project they sadly never finished.

With some time to kill, she was almost tempted to go and find Manny in the back office where she knew he’d be when she spotted his famous wall of photographs.

Would it still be there? she wondered, stepping closer to it.

She scanned over every single image. All the memories made by different people over the years within the wall of this very workshop until she finally found it. She found it. The picture Manny had taken of them at the last Summer they worked here.

They were both smiling, leaning back against the open hood of the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle they had been working on together that afternoon. Her dressed in a pink t-shirt, denim overalls and dirty white sneakers. Him in dark grey pants, a white vest, an unbuttoned blue collared shirt and his trusty black combat boots.

They looked so different. So in sync. So happy.

So in love.

Those summer days spent working here were some of the best memories she had, mostly because they were filled with him. She stepped closer, reaching out to trail her finger over his crown shaped beanie and the line of his face. It had been years since she’d last seen him and she wondered if he would still look like this. Boyish. Handsome. His eyes piercing and that same shade of midnight blue.  

It was almost unbearable. Looking at that picture and her heart could hardly handle the flood of emotions that suddenly overwhelmed her, making it ache relentlessly once again. She dropped her hand and turned away then, ready to go and stand somewhere else. To find something less attached to her childhood to keep her occupied when she heard the sound of someone approaching her from behind.

“Betty?”  

She froze as soon as the familiar voice reached her ears, and whatever control she thought she had over the rhythm of her breathing or the pace of her heartbeat went out the window in a matter of seconds.

It couldn’t be ... No ... no ... she was dreaming. She had to be. Her mind was playing tricks on her like it always did. There was absolutely no way he could be here. Standing behind her. No. No. No.

And yet a part of her, the brave part of her, dared her to find out. 

So she did, turning slowly until her disbelieving eyes fell on him - no trick, no dream this time - standing right there before her - crooked smile, blue eyes, crown beanie and all.

“Oh my god,” she whispered, completely dumbfounded, “Jughead?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!! Xx


	3. Blindsided

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will happen when Jug and Betty reunite .... read and find out. 
> 
> Also I’m sorry for taking so long to update, I’ll probably be a bit sporadic when it comes to this fic and updating. In any case I hope you enjoy it!! Also just a quick shout out to my amazing Beta for reading over this, you’re the best!! Xx

It was early in the morning when Jughead felt someone shake him firmly, mercilessly stirring him awake.

“Rise and shine, Charles Dickens." he heard the all too familiar voice of his little sister say.

He grumbled out a protest as he sat up slowly. His back and neck were stiff and sore, thanks to the poor decision he'd made – to stay up all night writing only to fall asleep at his desk once again. He rubbed his eyes and opened them, smiling just a little when he saw JB standing before him, her eyes narrowed and holding a cup of coffee. 

"You know, I'm starting to think you have some kind of aversion to sleeping in your own bed these days," she said, holding the cup out to him, "You look like hell by the way!" she added when he took it. 

 "Thanks, and you would as well if you stayed up till three in the morning," Jughead mumbled, sighing with exhaustion as he leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee carefully, already feeling a million times better than he had a second ago.

Admittedly, it had been a long and unproductive night. The kind that usually began with high expectations and ended in the sad pitfalls of reality.

It annoyed him, that despite his best efforts or how much he wanted or willed himself to write, nothing came of it. He would stare at the screen and the blinking cursor for hours sometimes, both mocking him while his fingers hovered above the keyboard, his brain trying and failing to think of what to type. To say. Anything at all.

Like all the great writers, both past and present, he'd obviously had bouts of writer's block before, but over the last few years, it had gotten so bad that he had barely made any progress with his novel as the result. A truly pathetic feat for someone like him - someone who everyone always described as a writer by nature.

JB heaved out a sigh then and collapsed into a nearby chair, apparently just as annoyed and frustrated as him - a sight he found particularly amusing.

"Please tell me something good came from this all-nighter at least."

"Oh yes," Jughead smirked ruefully, "A whole two paragraphs worth of garbage that I'll probably end up deleting anyway."

JB forced out a laugh and closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead a little.

"Well, look on the bright side, at least that's better than the amazing ten lines you'd managed the previous night."

Jughead chuckled at the dry comment and gave his sister a look that made her giggle as well.

 She wasn't wrong.

 

The night before last, he'd spent most of his time mumbling to himself while pacing the length of his study and throwing a tennis ball against the wall, endeavoring to overcome his writer's block and find some kind of inspiration in any way he could. When JB had found him the following morning, sprawled out on the floor, using his laptop and shirt as a pillow, she had simply rolled her eyes and somehow managed to get him to bed.

"Well, thanks for that amazing pep talk, sis. I feel so much better now," Jughead said, just as sarcastically as her, shaking his head and rolling his eyes when she started to laugh at his expense.

"Oh, don't mope, you big weirdo," Jellybean chided playfully. "You know I'm only teasing!"

She leaned forward then and grabbed his beanie - his old grey, crown shaped beanie that spent more time lying on his desk than on his actual head these days. She tossed it to him and Jughead couldn't stop himself from chuckling as he caught it, unable to find a proper reason to disagree with her.

If there was one thing he would always love and admire when it came to his relationship with his little sister, it was her unfailing ability to make pretty much any situation better. Even with her annoying tendency to tease him relentlessly every chance she got, only a handful of people could really make him smile the way she usually did.

"Yeah, I know," Jughead mumbled in a way that didn't exactly instill confidence. JB stood up and walked over to him and he smiled crookedly when she lightly ruffled his hair, something she always used to do when they were kids. 

"You'll figure it out eventually. You always do," she said, smiling down at him. "Besides, I didn't come here to give you a pep talk. I came here to see you before I go for the class and to tell you that Tripp had a late call out last night."

Jughead ears pricked up at the news, mostly because of the way his sister said it. Knowingly. Giving him the distinct impression that she knew something he didn't.

He frowned at her and sipped his coffee again, his curiosity piqued. "Oh yeah?"

"Yup, and I think you'll be very, surprised when you see the car."

"JB," Jughead warned, his eyes narrowing slightly when he saw the amused look on his sister's face, "You know I hate -"

"- You hate some surprises, not all of them, Jay." she quickly reminded him, her light blue eyes, the same blue as his, shining and filled with mischief, "Besides, I'd never let you walk into anything bad without warning you about it first, you know that."

Jughead sighed frustratedly but ultimately nodded his head in agreement.

For as long as he could remember, his little sister had never been very good at being subtle, but for some reason, she had this uncanny and annoyingly stubborn ability to keep a secret - a secret or a surprise - a surprise. He knew that it was almost impossible to get anything out of her and that she would never let him go into anything completely blindsided. So when she said goodbye and winked at him, he just sat there and watched as her waist-long black hair disappeared from sight, knowing that there was no point in trying to press her for anything.

He sat in silence for a while after that and finished off the rest of his coffee, contemplating whether he should take the day off or not.

He really hated surprises. He hated not knowing what was just around the corner. Waiting to jump him when he wasn't looking or least expected it. Even if the surprise turned out to be something completely harmless and ultimately good, just the idea of having it thrusted upon him without warning, always made him a little uncomfortable.

"Goddamnit JB ..." Jughead sighed and gritted his teeth and despite his better judgement, he got up and headed off to shower and get ready for the day, deciding rather uncharacteristically, that he couldn't just sit back and ignore this.

 

 

~

 

 

 

When he left his apartment an hour later, dressed and wearing his beanie for once, a strange feeling came over him as he made his way down to the workshop below. Something about today, a day that should be like any other normal day, felt unmistakably different. 

He could feel a noticeable tension in the air, like that unexplained feeling people sometimes get when they think they might bump into someone they used to know. He tugged at the sides of his beanie as a result, pulling it down even more, realising only now that he'd worn it for the first time in years for this exact reason. He felt a little uncertain, a little vulnerable and he didn't like it.

He shook his head a moment later and brushed the thought off quickly. As if it didn't matter. As if it meant nothing. Even though he had a funny feeling that it did - or that it would anyway. 

When Jughead stepped into the shop a short time later, he smiled at what he saw, not even mildly surprised by how busy things were already. Apart from the fact that Manny's was the only mechanic in town, one of the many benefits that came with owning this old garage was knowing that most days were easy to predict. He only had a few mechanics who worked for him, close friends who spent their days doing regular jobs like oil changes, basic maintenance, replacing tyres or worn out brake pads.

It wasn't the most exciting thing to do, but it was a living and it was a good one.

Nothing major ever happened and on any other day Jughead would've gone straight to his office to handle some paperwork or he would've walked around the garage offering his help where he thought it was needed, but thanks to his mischievous little sister and his own pesky curiosity, he was more interested in seeing the car JB had mentioned this morning. Luckily he didn't have to look far to find it and when he did see it, he couldn't stop himself from smiling, brightly.

Even after all this time it still looked the same - the old silver Jeep Wrangler that Archie used to drive during their high school days. It had been almost seven years since he'd last seen it, since the day his redheaded best friend with his girlfriend; Veronica Lodge had left for New York City together. Jughead chuckled to himself, clearly relieved. Naturally, his little sister was right. It was a good surprise. The best kind actually, given that he hadn't seen Archie for a good couple years now.

He walked towards the car, ready to take a look at it when Tripp suddenly stepped into view, looking about as exhausted as anyone would be after a long and boring night shift. Still, his youngest mechanic managed a genuinely cheerful smile when they looked at each other, something that Jughead would always be amazed by. He gave his head a slight shake, thinking that unlike Tripp, he could never be this upbeat after pulling an all-nighter.

"Morning boss, I'm guessing JB told you about the late night tow?" 

"She did," Jughead smiled crookedly as he approached the car and ran his hand along the hood, remembering the countless times when he and - No. He stopped himself quickly then and swallowed thickly, sidestepping the thought of her before it could take proper shape. "What uh ... what happened?"

"Nothing serious," Tripp shrugged, "Driver got two flats about twenty minutes outside of town. I'm just finishing the realignment now."

Jughead nodded, his brow creasing a little.

"Have you called the owner yet?"

"Didn't have to, she's right over there." It was only when Tripp pointed towards the front of the garage that Jughead actually registered what he'd said.

She.?

As in, not Archie?

As in, someone else?

He dared himself to look. Focusing his gaze on the front of the workshop in a moment of pure bravery. It didn't take him long to spot her ... or her blonde head of hair to be more precise. It was loose for once and not in its usual ponytail, but it was still the same shade of sunshine and honey. A truly unique colour that he could recognize anywhere.

More often than not he had to remind himself that every blonde woman he saw on a semi-regular basis wasn't her. That she wasn't here. That she was in New York City and had been for years now, but there was something about this particular moment that made it impossible for him to convince himself that this wasn't real. That she wasn't real.

Somehow, after a good minute of just standing there and staring, Jughead found the ability to think. To breathe. To move. Taking careful and cautious steps towards her while her back was turned to him. If Tripp had said anything to him now it would’ve been completely lost to him and it was only when he was standing just a few feet away from her that he took a chance and said her name, the world only coming back into focus again as she turned around slowly and looked at him. 

"Oh my god, Jughead?"  

She looked completely shocked. He was as well - to be honest, but that didn't stop the corner of his mouth from pulling into a crooked smile or his heart from stuttering in his chest at the mere sight of her. They stared at each other, wide-eyed and stunned for what felt like the longest time ever, contemplating what to do next. Jughead was definitely wrestling with himself, trying to think of the right thing to do or the best thing to say in a moment like this.

"It's really you," he whispered instead, figuratively punching himself in the face a second later when Betty raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean, I - sorry I just ... I wasn't expecting -" He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, gritting his teeth and wishing that the ground would just crumble away and swallow him up right here where he stood.

When he opened his eyes again though he saw that she was smiling at him, a little shyly actually, and any worries he'd had before faded away almost entirely when he noticed the faint blush that stained her cheeks now. 

"It's good to see you too, Jug," she said, her voice soft and small.

"Right," he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "Sorry, that's what I meant to say as well."

"Yeah, I figured as much." Betty giggled sheepishly, her demeanor just as uneasy as his.

They were both quiet for a moment and it occurred to Jughead only then that they were standing near Manny's famous wall of photos from back in the day. He wondered if she had found it - the picture of them that had been taken in this very workshop during the last summer they’d worked here together. The same one he hadn't taken down even though it always chipped away a piece of his heart every time he looked at it.

He had so many questions for her. Years and years worth of things he wanted to know and say, but before he could even think about opening his mouth again, Tripp (who Jughead decided had the worst timing ever) suddenly appeared and told Betty that her car was all fixed up and ready to go.

"Thank you," Betty said softly, glancing at Jughead again, who was too busy glaring at Tripp. When he did look at her, he couldn't help but match the disappointment that swirled in her green eyes. He could see that she didn't want this moment between them to end or to be labeled a missed opportunity either, but for some reason, she didn't say anything to make it last. "So I guess I'll see you around then," she said, opting to just smile at him instead.  

"Uh yeah ... sure thing." Jughead murmured in response, smiling back at her as best he could.

He watched Betty tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear and dip her head a little before she followed Tripp into the main office to pay for the repairs, leaving him standing there like a dumb, pathetic fish out of water. He watched her go, mentally kicking himself for not even trying to stop her.

 What the hell was wrong with him? 

It had been years. Seven to be exact since he'd last seen her and now that she was actually here like he'd always longed for, he could barely string two sentences together without sounding like a total moron.

"You're a goddamn fool, Jughead Jones," he sighed and pulled off his beanie roughly, irritated with himself and no one else.

He fiddled with the hat nervously, twirling it around while he watched her pay and talk to Tripp idly, trying to sum up the courage to actually do something. To seize this rare opportunity while he still could. However, it was only after the Jeep had been brought out front and Betty was about to leave that Jughead finally said 'fuck it' and forced himself to move.

He couldn't let this slide. He wouldn't.

"Betty, wait!"

She was just about to open the door and climb into her car when he came jogging over to where she stood, the sight clearly stunning her all over again, so much so that her eyes widened and her jaw went a little slack. He stopped once he was close enough and his hand clutched his beanie just a little bit more when he saw the way she was looking at him. Surprised with small, but noticeable flecks of expectancy woven in there somewhere.

Of course, her eyes were still the same mesmerizing shade of green that haunted his dreams most nights, and naturally, that only made it harder for him to speak.

He wanted to apologise for the weird conversation back in the workshop and maybe offer her some kind of half-hearted excuse to explain it all, but he didn't, reminding himself that she deserved better than apologies and poor excuses.

So he said the next thing that came to mind instead.

"Do you - I mean, would you like to get some coffee and maybe go for a walk?" he paused when she shifted awkwardly on her feet and looked away, trying to hide the hint of a smile that he could barely see on her face, "It's just that ... well, I'd really like to talk... you know, catch up."

It was a long shot and he knew that, because even though she still looked the same, so much could've changed since they last saw each other which meant that this could easily blow up in his face, but he needed to be sure. He needed to know if there was still something there - connecting them after all this time. In fact, a part of him really hoped that there was.

Betty was silent for what felt like an endless and painstakingly long time, probably debating the pros and cons with herself, before she finally let out a sigh and took a small step towards him, catching his eye again.

"Okay."

 

 

 

~

 

 

 

To say that Jughead was more than a little overwhelmed right now would be a bit of an understatement.

When he woke up this morning he was perfectly fine and had been for a while now. After years of struggling through his daily life, of difficult nights trying to fall asleep and pretending to be okay, things were finally stable, but all of that progress had just been shot to hell. 

Seven years.

It had been seven years since the day Betty had left for Brown. Since the day they had said goodbye on the sidewalk outside her family's house and with every year that passed, he found himself starting to believe that the chances of him ever seeing her again were highly unlikely.

The first few years had been the hardest.

His life carried on as it normally would have (or as normally as it could, without her around), but over big holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter, he would go for a long ride before parking his bike near the bus station, every single day, hoping to get a glimpse of the girl he still loved more than anything else in this world. But when every time he didn't see her, every time she didn't come, his heart would crumble just a little bit more.

The next couple of years weren't that much different, except he only went to the bus station every other day or he would drive pass the Coopers house instead to see if he had missed her arrival, slowing down just enough to get a better look, only to come up empty handed every time.

For the last two years he hadn't done that at all.

Now, by some unforeseen miracle or a simple act of fate, he was in Joe's old coffee shop on the Southside, staring at Betty through the stores front windows while he waited for their usual order.

He was still struck by how beautiful she looked when he'd seen her back at the shop, the sight almost convincing him that no time had actually passed between them, but looking at her here, objectively and from a distance, he could see the underlying changes that tainted her now. She wasn't the same and while the changes were small, they weren't entirely invisible either. Not to him anyway.

Her eyes weren't as bright as they used to be. Her smiles tainted with a hidden sadness and not as genuine no matter how hard she tried. The little bounce she used to have in her step seemingly gone. He watched her, noting the way she would drift off somewhere before she quickly caught and then composed herself, trying to keep her guard up. She'd done the same thing a few times while they'd walked here together, but he hadn't brought it up, both of them still dancing around each other and feeling a little reserved.

His first instinct would always be to ask her if she was alright or to try and find out what was wrong, but then he remembered that he'd lost the right to ask those questions and know those things a long time ago.

When the barista tapped Jughead on the shoulder and handed him his order, he thanked her and made his way back outside, his troubled heart easing significantly when Betty looked up and smiled at him warmly. It was the first real smile he'd received from her all day and it did something inexplicable to him.

"I still can't believe this place is actually here," Betty said, taking her _Miel_ _latte_ from him with a grateful nod.

She took a sip and smiled into it, savoring the unmistakable hints of honey and cinnamon on the tip of her tongue. Jughead kept his eyes on her while he sipped his own, admiring the fact that she was the only person in the world who could get him to do just about anything, even drink something other than his usual black coffee with two sugars. He was still staring at her when Betty looked at him again and tilted her head to the side.

"What?" she asked, her voice soft and mildly insecure.

Jughead cleared his throat and took another quick sip. "Nothing," he smiled crookedly.

It was drizzling when they started making their way back to Manny's and after giving Betty his leather jacket, they walked in silence for a couple of minutes, until Jughead, albeit cautiously, decided to try and break it.

"So how long are you visiting for?" he asked, bracing himself for the answer that would probably end him when it inevitably came.

Betty paused, taking a moment to pull the jacket around her even more before she spoke. "Well, I'm uh ... I'm not visiting actually. I've moved back."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Jughead coughed and almost choked on his hot coffee, trying not to overreact and clearly failing.

"Oh um, really?"

"Yeah," she smiled, "As crazy as it sounds I've actually missed being here."

"I guess I can believe that," Jughead said with a nod, "Must be very different coming back here after spending all that time in New York though."

Betty shrugged slightly. 

"It is," she admitted quietly, lifting her coffee up to her lips again, pretending to drink it, "But it's a good kind of different, you know."

He smiled at that, trying to keep his wayward imagination under control. Just because she was back in town and seemed to be happy, didn't mean that anything was set in stone. He needed to remember that for his own good. He needed to remember that they weren't who they had been before when they were together. Not anymore. Even so, he couldn't help but recall their final goodbye and how he had said that he'd wait for her. How they both said they'd wait for each other.

"I like this, by the way." He heard her say right before felt the tips of her fingers brush along the light beard that covered his cheeks now. "You always said you were going to grow one at some point." 

He froze then and so did she, her fingers lingering there a second or two longer, tingling and warming his skin before she dropped her hand. He looked at her, momentarily stunned by the action and by the surprising amount of warmth he saw in her eyes before he came to grips with himself and cleared his throat with a soft laugh.

"Thanks, but I think it exists more out of neglect than anything else."

Betty giggled. "Well, in any case, you look great," she stated as they both started walking again.

"So do you," Jughead said before he could think any better of it, mentally kicking himself a second later when Betty gave him an amused sideways glance. He briefly considered trying to backtrack and apologise to her until he noticed the small smile playing on her lips, ultimately persuading him not to.

When they turned the corner and Manny's workshop came back into view, Jughead honestly thought he was dreaming when he felt Betty lean in close and bump his shoulder lightly, the simple action filling his senses with the soft and unforgettable smell of vanilla and jasmine.

"I still can't believe you actually own Manny's shop." she said, giving her head a slight shake, "How did that even happen?"

Jughead smiled to himself. Earlier, when he had mentioned that Manny had sold his business to him a few years back, Betty's jaw had dropped so much she'd have almost tripped right over it. Truthfully Manny selling the business to him had been a massive surprise to him as well, one that had saved his life more times than he cared to admit.

"Well, it's kind of a long story. I don't know, maybe I'll tell you about it someday."

He wasn't sure what he meant by that and he wasn't exactly sure how she would interpret it either, but all he could think about right now was her, debating whether the past hour had actually happened or not. He was so tempted to find out. He was so tempted to reach out and touch her, wondering what would happen if he did. Would he feel her soft skin under his fingers again for the first time in seven years? or would he gasp awake back in his study, all alone and with her nowhere in sight?

He decided it was too risky to find out.

"I'd really like that," she said softly and he noticed then that she was looking at him, her lips pulled into a soft smile that made his throat go dry.

As they approached the parking lot and Archie's old Jeep, Jughead suddenly realised that his time with her, however brief and unexpected it was, was almost over. He shoved his hands deeper in his pockets and glanced at her, trying to preserve this moment for as long as he possibly could.

"Thanks for suggesting this, by the way," she said, turning to face him when they reached the car. She shrugged off his jacket and handed it back to him, "I didn't realize how much I needed Joe's coffee again until now." she added with a laugh.

Me neither, Jughead thought, smiling a little when he remembered that he hadn't been to Joe's coffee shop for a good number of years either, but unlike her, he'd avoided the place for an entirely different reason. He had his excuses, his motivations, none of which he wanted to talk about or face right now. If he could avoid thinking about that, he would. 

"You're welcome, Betts." It was only when he saw Betty's eyes widened with a mixture of shock and surprise that Jughead realised what he'd just said.

He swallowed around the lump in his throat and opened his mouth for what felt like the millionth time that day to try and explain himself again when she suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a warm and completely unexpected hug. He hesitated, trying in vain to calm his frantically beating heart before he slowly slipped his arms around her as well and hugged her back.

It only lasted for a moment, but it was long enough for him to never want to let her go again. He drank in every second. How she smelt. How warm she was. From her snuggling into his chest a little bit more, to the way her arms tightened around him when he slowly stroked his hand over her back. She melted into him and he decided right then and there that he never wanted this to end, even though he knew that it would have to.

When they finally said their goodbyes and Jughead was forced to just stand there and watch her drive away, he was confronted with the reality he'd been trying to avoid all morning. She was back in Riverdale. Catapulted back into his life without an ounce of warning and he wasn't sure how he felt about it just yet. It made him nervous, but it also made him curious, enough for him to consider pursuing it if he was given the chance.

When Jughead woke up in his study this morning after a disastrous evening to the news that there was some big surprise waiting for him, the last thing he had expected it to be was this. Even with JB's well intended warning, nothing could've prepared him for the return of Betty Cooper and what it would eventually mean.

He tried to remember the details of the last hour. Like when he'd put his beanie back on or what they said to each other on the way there or what the town around them looked like while they walked back together. He couldn't even remember the exact moment when they'd stopped to throw away their coffee cups either. In fact, he could barely recall anything beyond his interactions with her.

Long after she'd disappeared from sight, he finally relented and made his way back inside, avoiding everyone as he went. He headed straight for his office, locking the door and leaning back against it as soon as he got the chance. He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair, pulling his beanie off and throwing it onto his desk, wondering what the hell he was going to do next.

 

 

~

 

 

The rest of the day passed in a lackluster and unproductive haze.

Jughead didn’t leave his office unless he really had to, keeping himself occupied with any and all the paperwork he could find.

Occasionally though, he would stop and open his drawer, taking a moment to glance at the picture he had in there. He’d stare at photo of them - of Archie, Veronica, Betty and him, all of them together and happy in a booth at Pops, during a time when their lives were so different. So simple. Wishing that it could be like that, always.

He had always felt a little lost, a little left out ever since they’d all moved away for college. It wasn’t intentional though and Archie and Veronica always did their best to make sure he didn’t always feel that way.

He clocked out of work early, telling Tripp that he just needed to catch up on some sleep when his young friend asked him if he was alright.

Jughead decided he needed a shower as soon as he entered his apartment, undressing himself as he made his way to the bathroom. Memories of his hour with Betty still flickering in and out of his mind as he went. He only felt mildly better once he wasstanding under the hot stream of water, his body easing and relaxing as it ran over his skin. He leaned forward and rested his forearms of the cold tiled wall, hanging his head and letting the water dampen the world around him while he tried to fend off the tirade of memories that started to fill his mind now, succeeding until one finally slipped through.

 

~

 

_“Oh come on, I promise you’ll love it!” Betty said, holding the styrofoam cup out to him, giggling when he looked at her skeptically, “Juggie, you have to try new things. How will you ever know if you don’t like something unless you give it a chance?”_

_He sighed heavily before he took the cup from her and leaned back against the hood of the old pickup truck they were working on. He eyed the coffee suspiciously and Betty laughed again when he sniffed it gingerly, causing his lips to twist with disgust._  

_“I’m not sure, Betts. I pretty sure I can smell cinnamon in here.”_

_“It has honey in it as well, that doesn’t mean it’s going kill you, Jug.” Betty retorted playfully._

_Jughead chuckled lightly and smirked as he stared at his beautiful girlfriend for a moment, spotting the determined look in her eyes with ease. He was a simple man when it came to coffee and he knew that something like this would probably happen when Betty had offered to get their daily order. He guessed that it was all part of her plan to get him to try new things. To “live a little” as she’d put it and if it had been anyone else, he would’ve refused outright. But this was Betty. He loved her and he would do anything for her._

_She was still staring and smiling at him at him expectantly when he relented and finally had a long and proper sip of the latte, immediately tasting the aforementioned honey and cinnamon on his tongue. It was sweet and creamy, the natural bitterness and body of the coffee dulled by everything that had been added to it._

_It wasn’t his type of drink in any way, shape or form, but he told her that he would eventually get used to it anyway, earning him a breathtaking smile and long, passionate kiss in return._

_He drank the rest of it without protest, thinking that he would drink it anytime, anywhere if it meant making her this happy every time._

 

 ~

 

JB was watching tv in the lounge when Jughead came out of his room, silent as the grave and freshly dressed in sweats and an old t-shirt. The recent memory from the shower still playing over in his mind on a loop.

“Hey,” she said when she saw him, muting the tv and reaching for another slice of pizza from the box on the table, “I've ordered pizza for dinner. How was your day?”

“Thanks and it was fine, I guess,” Jughead sighed as he flopped down onto the couch beside her, promoting JB to frown and look at him.

“Just fine?” she questioned, her eyes narrowing a little. “How were things with Archie?”

Jughead groaned and leaned forward, running a hand over his face with pure frustration. He looked at his little sister then, wondering if she had known this whole time that it was Betty and not Archie who was driving the Jeep. It’s wasn’t something she would normally do, but that didn’t stop the thought from manifesting in his mind for a moment.

He looked her over, staring into the very depths of her confused and worried eyes until he was completely certain that she had no idea what was going on. He remembered what she’d said to him that morning then, that she would never let him walk into anything without warning him first. 

No, there was no way she could’ve known. 

“It wasn’t him ... it was Betty,” he eventually revealed, his mouth pulling in a sad, lopsided smile.

JB frowned, clearly confused.

“Betty? What are you ....” she began, pausing suddenly when the realization of what he’d just said struck her, “Wait, wait you don’t mean that Betty? Right?” Jughead just sighed in response, closing his eyes as he buried his face in his hands. “Oh my god, Jay...” she whispered then, rubbing her hand over his back gently.

Jughead swallowed thickly and tried his absolute best to focus on JB’s comforting touch. He took a few deep breaths to try and steady himself, because despite her promise that he wouldn't be, he'd just been completely and mercilessly blindsided by Betty Cooper.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated, thank you!! :) Xx


	4. Start Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting a little glimpse of Betty’s mindset in this chapter- I hope you enjoy it!! :) Also, a massive thanks to my amazing Beta for helping me as always!! Xx

Betty heaved out a heavy sigh and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk in front of her. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples gently, trying to ease the benign, but slightly annoying headache throbbing in the back of her head. It was late - later than she intended it to be or to get, but she had a midnight deadline, which technically meant that she had no choice but to stay and carry on working. 

When she opened her eyes again, she glared at her laptop screen pointedly, reading over the almost finished article again, and then again, trying and failing to figure out what to write next. Truth be told, writing her latest piece about the Town hall renovations’ that had been done recently was about as exciting and about as challenging as watching paint dry but unfortunately, it was all part of the job. 

 

At one point, becoming a journalist seemed like the best idea in the world to Betty, like the most logical choice she could pick. She loved to write, she always had. So naturally, she’d chosen a career that was centered around that as well. But unfortunately, it’s no secret that doing anything in practice, even something you thought you loved, can sometimes dampen a person’s oddly high expectations and that’s exactly what had happened to her, lately.

 

Her mother was a journalist and so was her father. Writing was in her nature, it was in her blood along with an ingrained desire to always try and find the truth. Betty could remember her sophomore year of high school, or more specifically the year when she’d signed up to write for Riverdale High’s very own school newspaper; The Blue and Gold.

Back then, she’d always imagined herself becoming a Lois Lane type character, chasing down one hard hitting story after the other. But if there was one thing she’d learnt very quickly, it was that, in the real world, fantasies hardly ever transpire the way we expect them to, and after only two years of working as one, out there in the real world, everything she’d thought she knew about journalism had been completely turned on its head.

 

But she did have a knack for it, and despite the fact that she’d only been back in Riverdale for a little more than a week, she’d already found herself falling into a relatively easy and stable rhythm when it came to work. 

Admittedly, it had been a lot to deal with in the beginning. Ever since her parents had gotten divorced and her father had moved away from Riverdale a few years ago, her mother had hardly used The Register for anything except to print out weekly copies of the town’s paper, preferring to write and edit from the comfort of her own home instead. 

Betty couldn’t operate like that though. 

For practical reasons and for her own sanity, she liked to keep her work life and her home life separated from each other if she could. But after spending an extensive amount of her free time cleaning out her parents’ old office and making The Register user-friendly again, she was beginning to question how necessary that aspect of her life really was. 

It goes without saying that working as a journalist in a small town like Riverdale, was a noticeably different experience than being one in a big city like New York. In fact, looking back on it now, she realized, that was one of the many things she hadn’t liked about her old life. 

In the city - where it’s a ‘dog eat dog’ world, where a story can basically be found around every corner, where the city and the media, practically never slept - she’d been, for the most part, forced to change. To do things she would never normally do, to think and behave in ways that didn’t appeal to her in the slightest, but what she’d hated most of all was the lack of control she’d had over her work. 

She was so used to having an endless amount of freedom whenever it came to her writing. In the past, she could choose her own topics. Her own angles. And she loved what she did back then as a result of that. As a ‘real’ and fully qualified journalist though, she’d felt like her creativity, and sometimes her own morality, was being stunted by other people at every turn. 

Here though, it was decidedly different. 

Everything was slow, simple, but still remarkably authentic - almost like there was no facade hanging over her hometown and its inhabitants. Nothing made her question anything that happened here. Sure, the stories weren’t as exciting or as challenging as some she’d written in the past and there was basically no competition to worry about either, but oddly enough that’s exactly what she wanted. She didn’t care if people thought that this was wrong. That someone as young as her should be challenging herself or that this was too easy. She didn’t care, because easy was exactly what she wanted right now. No surprises. No complications. No matter what or who came her way. 

Betty sat back then and closed her eyes, abandoning her work for the time being. It was true that the past week had been pretty normal and relatively uneventful, but she couldn’t stop herself from recalling the one occurrence that had happened and rarely left her mind now as a result. 

When she’d made the decision to come back home, she knew that the chances of her bumping into Jughead again were very much probable, but bumping into him within the first 24 hours of her being back in town had completely stunned her. Everything, absolutely everything about their encounter that day had shocked her to her very core, reminding her that, despite their long and extensive past, she didn’t know him as well as she used to. Not anymore anyway. 

Apart from their annual emails (which weren’t very long or that detailed to begin with), she mostly relied on the inconsistent and accidental tidbits of information that Archie and Veronica would sometime let slip about him. 

It was never enough though and she was always subtle whenever she tried to press them to say more. To satisfy that ever present desire she had to try and stay connected to him in any way she could. Unfortunately for her, her friends were good friends. Both of them acutely aware of her emotional state and how easily it could be shattered, which basically meant that they were always brief. Always careful whenever they spoke about him with her around. 

She couldn’t blame them. 

It took everything she had inside her not to freak out and run from Manny’s workshop in a state of panic when she’d seen him that morning, and once she finally got over the initial shock of seeing him, talking to him, drinking Miel lattes with him again, accepting his leather jacket from him when it started drizzling or just being near him in general, she was left stranded in a slightly risky situation where all she could do was listen, try to talk, stare unashamedly and take him in. 

Deep down, her biggest fear (apart from finding out that he was with, or had fallen in love with someone else) was that he would’ve changed so much that she wouldn’t be able to recognize anything about him when they inevitably saw each other again. 

So naturally, she was thoroughly relieved when she saw that he still looked the same. That he was still the same person in many ways. A little older perhaps and more set in his ways then he had been before, but the teenage boy she’d fallen in love all those years ago was definitely still there. In every smile, every laugh, every awkward gesture, and every warm glance he gave her, she saw him. She could still see glimpses of her Jughead. 

Of course, she wasn’t naive enough to think that he would still be the same after even seven years apart either. His appearance alone was an indication of that.

 

He had become taller, his shoulders broader, his boyish features replaced by the hardened and more handsome ones of a man and that beard! She hadn’t thought it was possible for him to get more attractive than she remembered but seeing him with facial hair had made her reconsider that almost immediately, and when she’d hugged him, her first thought (apart from how brave and ridiculously bold she was being) had been that his body (which she’d always loved anyway) was definitely stronger and more defined.

His personality was different as well. Not drastically or anything, but she could tell that he was now more reserved, more guarded than before and even though it wasn’t terribly obvious to her or to him, apparently, she’d picked up on the notion that there was something hanging over him - something that had occurred after she’d left for Brown and had clearly altered every aspect of his life in some way. 

She smiled to herself, a little dejectedly, thinking that they were both kindred spirits in that regard. 

Betty shook her head and pulled herself from her Jughead infested thoughts then, remembering that she really needed to get her work done now. She leaned forward and looked over her notes from the interview she’d done with the mayor earlier that day, and headache or no headache, she started writing again, miraculously finishing off the rest of her article with a surprising amount of ease. 

It was a little past 11, and Betty was beyond exhausted by the time she locked up the Register and made her way home. The streets were soaked through and riddled with puddles - thanks to late afternoon rainstorm that had swept over the town earlier - but even with her Jeep back in action, she preferred to walk, especially on nights like this when the air was cool but refreshing, keeping her awake along the way. 

The house was dark and quiet when she opened the front door, a clear sign that her mother had gone to bed a long time ago. She removed her jacket, and after eating the spaghetti that had been left in the microwave for her, she yawned deeply and slowly made her way upstairs. 

She flicked on her bedroom light and smiled at what she saw - a room that accurately represented her now more than it ever had before. Her stay here was only temporary of course, but with most of the pictures, posters and various kick-knacks that were closely associated with a different time of her life finally gone, she felt a little more comfortable with the overall arrangement. 

Being as quiet as possible for her mother’s sake, Betty changed into her pajamas and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. She’d just finished washing her face and drying herself off when her eyes inadvertently settled on the faint scar that existed above her right eyebrow now, a detail that would be completely missed by anyone who wasn’t aware of it. The one she tried to pretend didn’t exist. When she reached out and gently traced the length of it with the pad of her finger, she felt her chest knot with pangs of anxiety and a white hot, searing pain shot right through her entire body, paralyzing her for a moment.

“No, stop - stop it.” She whispered, gripping the edges of the sink tightly when her hands started to shake, her eyes squeezing shut. She forced herself to exhale as she tried to calm down, her mind pushing away the bitter memory or memories from her past before they could consume her thoughts entirely. 

No, she thought defiantly, stopping herself from giving in without a fight. Not tonight. Not tonight, Betty. 

She caught the sight of her reflection in the mirror then, silently hating the mildly vulnerable look she saw in her own eyes now before she turned and left the room as quickly as she possibly could. 

When Betty returned to her bedroom, she immediately went to the box that was still sitting on the edge of her bed, exactly where she’d left it this morning, and started sifting through its contents idly, temporarily and desperately trying to distract herself from her thoughts. 

Thankfully it worked. 

The box in question contained some of the old articles she’d written back in high school for the Blue and Gold. She picked them up, one by one, and smiled as she read the headlines and sections of the articles, all of them centered on normal student related topics. Stuff like major school events or social issues connected with being a teenager, or if the food they were eating in cafeteria was actually healthy or not. She giggled to herself then, remembering the mini panic attack that had ensued when they had discovered that the chicken nuggets everyone loved to eat, weren’t in fact the “real” chicken nuggets. 

She froze.

They. 

As in; her and him.

She steeled herself before she looked at the byline, running her thumb over her name first and then, his. They’d been team back then. Riverdale’s very own investigative duo and it was the working together on the school paper that had ultimately brought them closer and had eventually led them into the wondrous throes of passion. They’d spent so many hours there. Early mornings and late afternoons passing by in long, but comfortable silences or with them deeply embroiled in quiet, yet warm and seemingly endless conversations about anything and everything they could think of. 

Betty restrained herself then and swallowed thickly, feeling a sudden and rather heavy weight form in the pit of her stomach. She placed the papers back in the box and wordlessly set it down on the floor, her thoughts inevitably straying back to him once again. 

She couldn’t deny that seeing Jughead again had shaken her quite a bit and even though it had been a week since their encounter, she still wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole situation. Was she happy to see him again? Yes. Was she happy that he hadn’t changed much over the years? Of course. But fear and uncertainty still bloomed inside her anyway, producing doubt after doubt in her mind about what could possibly happen next. She felt like she had to be cautious or at least make sure that she read the signs properly to avoid any potential heartache. 

To be honest, this whole situation scared the hell out of her, but that alone wasn’t enough to deter her or to quell her natural curiosity, because if there was one thing she was fairly certain about after their unexpected meeting, it was that something - however small that something was - still existed between them and she wanted to know what it meant. 

With another sigh, Betty turned off the main light and crawled into her bed, snuggling deeper into her mattress and pillows as if doing that would somehow stop the memories. As if that simple act would stop her from thinking about him after she fell asleep. She breathed softly, evenly, keeping her eyes fixed on her bedside table for a long while, her fingers longing to reach out and touch the words she could clearly see even in the distinct darkness that engulfed her room. 

She stayed like that until sleep finally claimed her, aware of the fact that at some point her one hand had slipped out from under the covers, the very tips of it just brushing against the carved out “J” he’d put there all those years ago. 

She didn’t move it. 

 

 

_**~•~•~** _

_****_

_It was late in the afternoon and Betty was busy editing or at least she was trying to - ruthlessly picking apart the article she’d just finished writing less than an hour ago - because she was, after all, her biggest and harshest critic._

__

_School had ended hours ago, but it wasn’t uncommon for her and Jughead to still be there, working on the latest edition of the school newspaper together. The Blue and Gold was like their own personal little sanctuary in many ways and more often than not they would always wind up there at some point during the day, usually alone and safe from any prying eyes._

__

_Betty sighed frustratedly then and stopped what she was doing, taking a moment to stretch her muscles, her neck and shoulders already starting to ache and tense up after a long and trying week. She let out a yawn and rubbed her weary eyes, hoping that it would be enough to keep her awake just a little bit longer so she could finish off here and go home. She was about to carry on working again when she felt a hand smooth over her back, fingers gently pressing into and massaging her skin._

__

_“You okay, baby?”_

__

_For the first time in the last hour that had just passed Betty became aware of the fact that Jughead was still sitting beside her, editing the final layout for tomorrow’s edition. She took a deep breath before she looked at him, sighing softly when she saw the concerned look in his eyes, the sight melting her heart in an instant. He had a habit of worrying about her a lot these days (they both seemed to be worrying about each other a lot actually), and most of the time it was understandable. Warranted even. Like it was now._

__

_With his hand still rubbing her back, Betty pushed her chair closer to his and leaned into him, closing her eyes and snuggling her head deeper into his crook between his neck and shoulder when he wrapped his arm around her in a proper hug._

__

_“I’m alright Juggie, just tired.”_

__

_He nodded silently and Betty smiled and breathed him in when he pressed his lips to her forehead, kissing her there softly._

__

_“Well maybe we should take a quick break? That couch looks like the perfect place to take a little nap.” he murmured, rubbing the length of her arm with his hand comfortingly._

__

_She giggled and kissed his neck gently. “That’s a sweet suggestion Juggie, but I’m -“_

__

_“- Fine?” He finished for her, “You’re exhausted, Betts. We both are and last time I checked, there’s nothing wrong with taking a little, innocent break.”_

__

_“Normally I’d agree, but we have a deadline to meet, remember?” she said, chiding him light-heartedly._

__

_“Please,” Jughead scoffed lightly, “I’m sure the world as we know it won’t implode if we’re a little behind on our deadline.” He stood up then and a playful smirk settled on his lips when he grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet as well, “Come on sleepy-head, just humor me for half an hour.”_

__

_Laughing, Betty rolled her eyes as she finally gave in and followed him towards the couch. She knew that she could’ve argued with him or at least insisted that she really was fine and didn’t need to rest, but unsurprisingly, the prospect of cuddling with him on an old brown leather couch seemed far too appealing to pass up right now._

__

_As soon as he was settled down and comfortable, she crawled into his side, kissing his lips gently and relishing in the immediate comfort she felt when he wrapped his arms around her and held her close, both of them whispering how much they loved each other before they slowly drifted off together._

__

_He was right of course. They were late. Well past the deadline by the time they finished, and yet the world was still there, waiting for them regardless._

 

_~•~•~_

 

Betty woke with a start, overwhelmed and breathing heavily, the remnants of the dream she’d just had (or the memory she’d recalled to be more precise) still lingering on the fringes of her brain, parts of it flickering in and out of her mind every time she blinked.  

This wasn’t uncommon for her, having dreams about him. It had happened sparsely over the years, but ever since they’d bumped into each other a week ago, every memory she ever had of him had come flooding back with a vengeance almost every single night, a constant and firm reminder of what had really been on her mind and what had been suppressed all these years. 

She sat up quickly and clutched at her chest, waiting for her heartbeat to slow down and even out. She took a few deep breaths once it had, and rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes, letting them adjust to soft light trickling into her room now. She was about to check what time it was when there was a soft knock on the door and her mother came, holding a cup of coffee. 

Betty immediately swallowed back her nerves and plastered on the best smile she could muster so early in the morning. 

Honestly, the last thing she wanted or needed right now was to catch up in a conversation with her mother, about her emotions or about anything relating to Jughead, especially since she hadn’t mentioned their meeting to her yet. Luckily though, Alice didn’t seem to notice her daughter’s dazed state or if she did, she didn’t say anything about it, opting to just smile and hand the cup over to her instead. 

“Thanks, mom,” Betty mumbled, taking the cup with a grateful nod. “What time is it?” 

“It’s still early, I just wanted to make sure you got home safely last night,” her mother explained, sitting down on the edge of the bed, “Did you sleep well? You look a little anxious.” Betty nodded in response, taking a long sip of her coffee. It helped. Remarkably so. Alice regarded her silently for a moment before she eventually sighed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Just promise me you won’t overwork yourself, Betty. There’s no shame in taking it easy.” 

“I know mom,” Betty sighed, “And I promise I won’t. I just had a deadline I had to meet that’s all.” 

Alice nodded, biting down on her lip slightly. She looked like she wanted to say something else and Betty waited, breathing out an internal sigh of relief when she stood up instead and said that breakfast would be ready soon. She watched her mom leave then, feeling her guilt prickle and claw its way to the surface. She knew that her mother wasn’t going to push her for anything right now. That she was giving her space, leaving the door open for her to open up at her own pace. And she would when she had it all figured out for herself. 

With another sigh, Betty pulled back the covers, climbed out of bed and went about her day, following her morning routine like she usually did. She showered and got changed and had breakfast with her mother where they spoke about editing the articles and not much else. By the time Betty arrived back at The Register again, her heart was still thumping like crazy and her head was still spinning, throwing her off completely. 

She tried to keep herself busy as best she could - cleaning, researching, reorganizing, anything - whatever she could get her hands on, but nothing worked. Nothing could stop her from thinking about him and it was beyond maddening to the point where she felt like she was going to pull her hair out if she didn’t get this off her chest sooner. 

She was about to start reorganizing the pile of papers on her desk for the fourth time that day when her phone suddenly went off, scaring her half to death. Betty steadied herself before she reached for it, a crooked smile forming on her lips when she saw that Veronica was FaceTiming her. She shook her head in amazement.

 

How the hell does she always manage to do that?

She picked it up and leaned back in her office chair, watching as her raven-haired best friend came into view, looking beautiful and smiling brightly as always. 

“Hey V, what’s up?” 

“Absolutely nothing, B! Archie and I just thought we’d call and check up on you.” a moment later her other best friend, Archie Andrews appeared as well - tousled red hair, boyish smile and all. 

“Hey Betty.” he said, squishing himself into Ronnie’s side even more, “You doing alright?” he asked, frowning slightly. 

“Yeah,” Veronica added before Betty could even open her mouth to answer. “Are you alright, B? You’ve been suspiciously quiet lately.” 

Betty smiled softly and rolled her eyes at that. Typical Archie and Veronica, observant as ever. “Yeah, I’m fine guys, I’m just a little tired I guess.” 

“You guess? Wait, whathappened?” Veronica demanded immediately, refocusing the camera so that it was only on her. 

Betty sighed and gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment, debating what to say next. Technically speaking, she only had one option, because lying to Veronica about anything always ended the same way; with her eventually finding out and being exceptionally mad that she wasn’t told the truth in the first place. Even with that in mind, Betty still considered lying or “withholding the truth” about Jughead for the time being at least, until she saw Veronica raise her eyebrows expectantly, changing her mind in an instant. 

“So, I might’ve ... bumped into Jughead the other day.” 

“Wait ... what!” she heard them say together, clearly gob-smacked. Archie pushed himself back into view then, his shoulder roughly bumping into Veronica’s who was too stunned to even notice and Betty sighed, feeling like she’d just opened the Pandora’s box.

“Oh my gosh, what happened?” 

“Where did you see him?” 

“What did he say?” 

“Did you even talk to him?”

“What did you say?” 

“Was he a nice? 

“Wait, was he a douche?” 

The questions were coming at such a rapid rate that Betty could barely hear them, let alone keep up with all of them at the same time. She wasn’t that surprised to be honest. She’d expected this kind of reaction from the both of them, which was technically why she hadn’t wanted to say anything in the first place, but such was life. 

“Betty!” Veronica and Archie yelled in unison again, bringing Betty back to reality. 

She let out a soft giggle and looked at them, taking in their desperate and over-eager faces before she finally gave in and told them, everything and by the time she was done, Archie’s jaw was practically hanging on the floor and Veronica’s smile was so wide, she resembled the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.

“Have you seen him since?” The redhead asked after a moment, his eyes still wide with bewilderment.

Betty shook her head. “I haven’t, and I’m not sure what to do next to be honest. I can’t just go and see him and walk back into this, pretending like the last seven years didn’t happen.” 

Silence fell between the three of them then and Betty waited, keeping her eyes mostly fixed on Veronica. She half expected her raven-haired friend to just wave away her doubts and worries like she usually did, so naturally, it surprised her immensely when Veronica just sighed and didn’t say anything, giving her a look that basically screamed, “I don’t blame you for thinking that way.” 

“Yeah, I guess I can understand that. It seems like a pretty complicated situation,” Archie conceded, frowning even more and folding his arms across his chest while he tried to think of a solution as well.

Betty closed her eyes then and let out a long, heavy sigh. “Tell me about it, I honestly have no idea what to do and I’m going mad trying to think of an answer!” 

It wasn’t an exaggeration. She really had no idea what to do next. Over the week that had passed, many times over she had considered going back to Manny’s to see Jughead, but every time she’d entertained the idea she’d always come up with a reason or an excuse not to do it. This was all so unexpected and given that things were reasonably good between them right now, the last thing she wanted was to walk in and mess that all up with stupid decisions and rash actions. 

“Well, and I’m just spit-balling here, but maybe the answer is that you should go and see him, B.”

Betty’s eyes flew open immediately and she gaped Veronica, unable to believe what she’d just heard. 

“Look,” V continued, holding her hands up defensively, “I know you just said that you can’t do that, but what if you can? You’ll never know what will happen if you don’t at least give it a try, B.” she added with a shrug, “This is Jughead we’re talking about and besides, from what you’ve told me, it sounds like he still cares about you despite everything. So, I’m not saying that you should run in there and try to jump his bones or anything. I’m just saying that you take the opportunity to try and get to know him again.” 

Betty bit her lip and looked at Archie next, who simply shrugged. “Ronnie’s right Betty, I mean, it can’t hurt to try, right?” 

“Yeah, I guess,” she mumbled quietly, still looking very uncertain. A detail Veronica didn’t easily miss. 

“Just try, B,” she said softly, her voice and eyes filled with a staggering amount of encouragement, “This is Jughead we’re talking about. You never know, maybe something good will come from it.” 

Betty eyed her friends with an odd mixture of warmth and mild apprehension, a soft, defeated sigh falling from her lips, because deep down, she knew that they were right. “Yeah ... maybe you guys are right.”

As soon as Betty finished speaking, Veronica clapped and let out an excitable squeal “Yes B! And if he acts like a dick in any way, I’ll personally come down there and give him a piece of my mind.” 

They all laughed at that, acting like Veronica wasn’t being serious at all, but when Betty caught Archie’s eye a second later, they both knew that she was. They both knew that Veronica Lodge would do that for her friends. Without question. Come rain or shine. 

They spoke for a while longer and by the time the call ended, Betty had resolved to go and see Jughead as soon as she possibly could, deciding that in a way, Archie and Veronica were right. Despite her reservations, there was no reason why she couldn’t take a chance and see where it could go, right? 

There was no denying that she’d missed him awfully. She’d missed him so much over the years and now that she had the opportunity to be near him again, she wasn’t going to pass it up anytime soon. Assuming of course that he wanted that as well. She swallowed back her anxiety again, hoping that he did. 

Betty carried on with her day, keeping herself busy by fiddling around with the final layout for the paper and by doing some research for her next article. An hour or so later, she was twirling her pen around when it slipped from her fingers and fell onto the floor, rolling under her desk. 

“Ugh of course,” Betty groaned. With a sigh, she kneeled down and crawled around on her hands and knees, looking for her pen just as she heard the door open, and footsteps as someone walked in. 

“Hello?” 

She froze as soon as she heard the familiar voice echo around the room, hardly trusting herself to actually believe that it was real. She’d done that to herself too many times before in the past to let herself fall victim to that again. She shook her head, muttering “get over yourself,” as she reached for the pen. 

“Betty, you here?” she heard the voice say again, only this time it was a lot closer than before and impossible to mistake and she jumped with surprise, whacking her head into the underside of her desk. 

“Fuck!” she cursed through gritted teeth, squeezing her eyes shut in pain. She moved out from under the desk slowly and used the edge of it to stand up, pressing her hand against the fresh bump on her head. 

“Shit Betty, are you alright?” 

He was at her side in a matter of seconds and she thought she was dreaming, or maybe concussed when she felt his hand cup her cheek, his other hand moving hers so he could have a better look. She then leaned into his touch automatically and opened her eyes, staring up at him in disbelief, her heart leaping into her throat when she realized just how close he was standing. Jughead looked down at her then and smiled crookedly, his blue eyes soft and concerned. 

“You alright?” he asked again, and this time Betty found the ability to at least nod, too tongue-tied to even try to speak. “You sure? It looks like it’s okay, but I’m still really sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, lightly running his thumb over the bump a couple more times more before he dropped his hands and took a small step back. 

“It’s -,” she paused to swallow, her heart beating so loudly in her ears that she could hardly think, “It’s alright, Jug. So what’s up?” 

Betty watched as Jughead shifted awkwardly on his feet, his fingers fiddling with the hem of his flannel before he shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. Seriously though, how on Earth could someone be so fricken nervous yet so goddamn attractive at the same time? she wondered, feeling her throat go dry all over again at the mere sight of him, her throbbing headache long forgotten as well. 

“Well I uh - I came by to apologise to you actually.” He admitted, his lips pulling into a sheepish smile. 

“Apologise?” Betty repeated, frowning slightly. What on earth did he have to apologise for? Last she’d checked, he’d done nothing wrong. 

“Yeah, I felt like last week ended on a pretty inconclusive note,” he paused, rubbing the back of his neck again, “And well, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for not reaching out sooner.” 

Betty blinked, her eyes widening with surprise. “Oh, you ... you don’t have to apologise for that, I could’ve - I mean, I should’ve reached out as well.” 

Jughead smiled at that and dipped his head slightly, a few strands of his thick black hair slipping out from under his beanie and falling into his eyes as he did. 

“Well, in that case, why don’t we just start over? Maybe grab dinner sometime?” 

By some miracle, Betty managed to keep herself remarkably composed. Or she did on the surface anyway. Underneath, she was a total mess in the best and worst ways possible. She smiled, desperately trying not to read too much into what he’d just said - especially the part that sounded like him asking her out on a date. 

 

_No, no, it’s not a date. You two are just friends. Taking it slow. Getting to know each other all over again. It definitely isn’t a date._

 

She repeated that to herself over and over again, even though deep down, she wished that it was the contrary. She didn’t stop herself from thinking about it - about the possibility that those words could have an entirely different meaning behind them one day. 

She noticed then that he was watching her closely, almost anxiously, presumably waiting for her to say something. So she gave him a warm smile, trying to ease his nerves. 

“How about Pops, Friday night at eight?” She saw him stiffen slightly, his throat working hard as he tried to swallow. 

“What?” Betty asked quietly, her cheeks warming under his intense gaze. 

“Nothing,” Jughead said, letting out a soft, airy chuckle, “I just - I never thought I’d hear you say that to me again,” he admitted quietly, melting Betty’s heart in an instant. 

“So is that a yes?” she asked. 

He smirked as he turned and took a few steps towards the door before turning around. “I could never say ‘no’ to you, Betts,” he said as a matter of factly, “So, I’ll definitely see you then.”

Betty grinned to herself as she watched him go and a long after he disappeared from sight. She felt giddy, like a teenager with a crush for the first time all over again with Jughead’s words playing over in her mind on a near constant loop, blissfully distracting her and keeping her on he toes for the rest of the day. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!! Xx


	5. Old Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Five is finally here, thank you so much for your patience and a big thank you to my amazing Beta @fictitiousoshine for proofreading this for me!!! I hope you guys enjoy this one!! Xx

Jughead was still half asleep, lying in bed with his eyes half shut when he heard his bedroom door bang open and his sister march in. She stopped and looked at him, letting out an annoyed, but soft sigh before she crossed the length of his room and yanked the curtains open, allowing the harsh late morning light to flood into his room, stirring him awake in an instant. He squeezed his eyes shut and grumbled out a protest, burying his head deeper into the sanctuary of his pillows, wanting nothing more than to avoid the conversation that was probably about to take place.

 

“Jughead?”

 

He didn’t move, thinking – rather foolishly perhaps – that JB might give up and leave for once if he pretended to still be asleep. He should’ve known better, of course.

 

“Oh for god sakes!” Jellybean said furiously. She yanked the duvet off him then and Jughead curled into himself, protesting even louder than before, “This really has to stop, Jay! You’ve done nothing but mope around here for the past week and it’s driving me fucking crazy! What the hell is going on?”

 

On any other day, he would’ve ignored her or simply told her to just leave him alone, but he refrained from doing so. Even though he’d been doing that to her all week – purposefully avoiding any topic of conversation related to Betty and what had happened that day – he knew that she was concerned and that he hadn’t really given her the opportunity to talk about things. It wasn’t personal though. He’d been avoiding people altogether, spending almost all of his time in either his bedroom, study or office, pretending to be busy while he mulled over his turbulent thoughts instead. But for some reason, he had neither the strength nor the desire to do that today.

 

With a sigh, Jughead rolled onto his back and sat up slowly, rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes. He looked at his little sister for a moment before he lowered his gaze again, feeling a sudden and striking amount of guilt take shape inside him for keeping her at such an arm’s length this whole time.

JB moved a little closer then and sat down on the edge of his bed, her blue eyes worried and expectant as she looked him over.

 

“Talk to me, Jay,” she pleaded softly, reaching out to touch his arm, “I might be going out on a bit of a limb here, but I’m guessing this has something to do with Betty being back in town.” Jughead snapped his eyes up to hers again. He swallowed, but didn’t say anything, the somber look he gave her providing the answer she was looking for, “Did something – I don’t know, unsavory happen between you guys?” she asked gently, being careful not to press too hard.

 

“No,” Jughead said, giving his head a slight shake. “No, nothing happened between us. Nothing bad anyway. I just … I don’t know why, but I can’t stop thinking about it. About her. About everything that happened that day …” he trailed off with a heavy sigh and moved to sit on the edge of the bed beside his sister, running his fingers through his messy hair.

 

It wasn’t an exaggeration. His mind had been in a complete jumble over the last few days, filled with a never-ending stream of thoughts and questions and uncertainties. Every detail. Every word. Every scenario he could recall or imagine regarding what had happened a week ago kept weaseling its way back into his brain somehow. He couldn’t stop it and in a strange way, he didn’t want too. Torn between the odd sense of comfort and anxiety it brought him. She was still so damn beautiful. So alluring to him even after all of this time apart and he could hardly handle what that alone did to him. It was almost like seeing her again had reawakened a part of his brain and heart that had been dormant for a very long time and his body was desperately trying to readjust to it now.

 

“And is that good or bad thing?” JB asked after a moment, the corners of her mouth twitching into a playful smile when Jughead gave her an unamused sideways glance.

 

“This is serious, JB!” he chastised which of course, only made her already present smile grow.

 

“Clearly, since you couldn’t even tell that I was pulling your leg, you big weirdo!” Jughead scowled at her and she broke out into fits of laughter, “Seriously Jay, you being man down for an entire week because you can’t stop thinking about a girl, is such a you thing to do! I was convinced you were dying or something.”

 

Jughead leaned forward and dropped his head into his hands with a groan, ignoring his sister and her annoying pries for a second. He closed his eyes and for the first time since he’d seen Betty a week ago, he really tried to dispel all the thoughts he had swirling around in his brain right now. He’d been reliving their meeting, turning it all over in his head in an effort to understand it. To decipher what it meant or could possibly mean, only to come up with more questions than answers almost every time which was beyond frustrating.

 

“Have you tried speaking to her at least?” JB asked after a while, gently smoothing her hand over his back as Jughead shook his head. “Is there a reason why you haven’t?”

 

“I .... I don’t know to be honest.” He straightened up and sighed heavily, “I guess I’m just scared of getting hurt or worse, being rejected.”

 

“By Betty? Come on, even I find it hard to believe that that could ever happen.”

 

“And what if it did?” he paused for a moment, bringing his eyes back up to his sisters. “It’s been years. Literally years since we last saw each other and a lot has changed in that time. What if she’s involved with someone else, or what if she isn’t the same Betty from high school? And even if she isn’t with someone or even if she is still the same you can’t blame me for being worried that things -” he paused briefly, the fear in his voice evident, “- that I might’ve changed too much for things to ever go back to what they used to be before.”

 

He waited, half expecting Jellybean to argue with him or to wave off his words as nothing but excuses, so naturally – though relieved – he was pretty stunned when she kept her mouth shut and simply nodded, the jokey look in her eyes softening until it was replaced with a deep sense of understanding and compassion. She knew where he was coming from. That things had been anything but easy since Betty had left or since their mother had come home one day with some really bad news. She also knew that there was a lot more to it than that and that he didn’t like to talk about it. Neither of them did, in fact. The memories were recent and painstakingly fresh in their minds.

 

“Okay look, if this was any other girl I’d agree with you or I’d tell you to just man up and get over it,” Jughead rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say something but JB held up her hand, silencing him before he could speak. “But this is Betty we’re talking about aka The Only Girl You Have Ever And Probably Will Ever Love and I get why you’re being cautious. I really do. We’ve both been through a lot and not a day goes by when I don’t think about mom and everything that happened as well, but you know she wouldn’t want this. She wouldn’t want you to do what you always do to yourself.”

 

Jughead scoffed at that and frowned slightly. “And what exactly do I always do to myself?”

 

“This!” JB said, gesturing to him as a whole. “You always psych yourself out or you just question everything or straight up ignore anything good that comes your way!”

 

“I don’t always do that and even if I did, who’s to say that it wouldn’t be different this time around?”

 

“Well, would it?” JB asked incredulously, “Because from where I’m standing it certainly doesn’t look like it will be.”

 

Jughead sighed before he looked at her warily, not at all surprised by her blunt tone or by how unconvinced she appeared to be. He’d given her plenty of reasons to be doubtful about the current state of his mindset lately.

 

“I can’t just waltz around and act like the last seven years haven’t happened, JB.”

 

“And I’m not saying that you should. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t overthink things this time and that you should just do something for yourself for once!” she turned to face him then, making a point to look him in the eye now, her gaze softening, “Jug, you did your part for mom and me and you did it well, now you need to do something for yourself. You need to take care of yourself before you lose your mind completely!”

 

He didn’t say anything for a moment, a little overwhelmed by what he’d just heard. It wasn’t something that he liked to admit to himself or to anyone in fact, but he knew that his sister was right. He had a tendency to do this. To be selfless. To sacrifice whatever he could for those he cared about and loved the most, no matter the personal cost it required. He was prepared to do it and thinking back on it now, he could see why JB was concerned. He’d given up a lot over the years; parts of himself and his future that he could probably never get back.

 

When the silence between them drew on a little longer, JB moved closer and wrapped her arm around his shoulders in a warm hug.

 

“The way I see it, you’ve been given something that a lot of people never get; a second chance to try again. To get something special back. So with that in mind, can I give you one piece of advice?” Jughead nodded immediately, curious to hear what she had to say. “Do yourself a favour for once and don’t waste it.”

 

He almost scoffed at that. Almost. But he didn’t this time, his desire to argue or to deny the truth as absent as it had been before. He chewed on the inside of his bottom lip and kept his eyes fixed on the ground, only closing them when he felt JB hug him again and kiss the side of his head, his ears vaguely hearing her say something about making them both breakfast before she got up and left.

 

He stayed there, letting her words and the weight they carried sink in, thinking it over until he felt something cold and wet gently rub against his fingers. He opened his eyes then and, despite how he felt, a crooked smile formed on his lips when he saw his loyal and ever faithful sheepdog appropriately named: Hotdog sitting before him.

 

“Do you have any idea what I should do, Boy?” he asked quietly, reaching out to scratch behind the dogs furry ear when he simply whined and rested his head on his master’s knee in response. “I was afraid you were going to say that,” Jughead murmured, already knowing in the depths of his heart what he had to do and what he was going to do next.

 

~•~•~

 

_“Let me help you.”_

 

_She shook her head in response, weakly but still defiantly, and he watched with somber eyes as she leaned against the side of the bed even more, her one arm hooked onto the mattress as an anchor to keep her upright. To stop her from falling over. She closed her eyes and exhaled one soft, but ragged breath after another, each one piercing his resolve, causing his heart to twist and ache painfully in his chest until he simply couldn’t take it anymore._

 

_“Please, mom … please stop, just let me help you.” He was begging now, fresh tears forming in the ducts of his eyes as knelt down beside her, too afraid to touch her in case her fragile and sickly frame finally decided to break._

 

_She didn’t say anything for a long while. She didn’t sob, even as her eyes glassed over with tears and she struggled to reason with the remaining dreads of stubbornness she still had inside her. He knew that over the last few months she’d been trying to avoid needing any kind of assistance if she could. Always being careful. Always making sure that whatever she did she could do by herself, but there were just some things that she couldn’t do by herself._

 

_Not anymore._

 

_After a series of weak coughs, she finally let out a groan and dropped her head onto the mattress and finally gave up, only opening her tired eyes again so that she could watch her anguished, but seemingly stoic son take her hand when she held hers out to him._

 

_ ~•~•~  _

 

Jughead sighed as he moved to stand in front of JB’s full-length mirror again, trying to decide which shirt he should wear.

 

It had been a week since the little chat he’d had with his sister and in that time he had resolved to take her advice for once, a decision that ultimately led to him going all the way to The Register the following day just so he could apologize to Betty for not reaching out sooner. And so he could ask her to have dinner with him. He didn’t think that it would end the way it did, with her suggesting they meet tonight at Pops at eight. He didn’t even think that she would be so receptive to the idea though. But she was, and he wasn’t about to complain, especially since going to see her had led to them sending texts to each other every once in a while these days, making sure they reached out.

 

“That one. Definitely that one.”

 

He’d almost forgotten that JB was in the room with him, sitting behind him on her bed intermittently reading his old and very worn out copy of Far From The Madding Crowd for the millionth time. He smoothed his hands over the black button down a few times before he lifted his eyes back up and stared at his reflection in the mirror with uncertainty.

 

“Are you sure?” he asked with a slight frown, “What about the white one? You said you liked that one as well.”

 

“The white one was nice, I suppose,” she said with a shrug, “But black suits you better. Brings out the color of your eyes in my opinion.”

 

He nodded and after only a moment’s hesitation, started rolling the sleeves up to his elbows.

 

“Here, let me,” JB said with a giggle, hopping off the bed to help him when she saw that he wasn’t doing it right. Jughead sighed and closed his eyes as soon as she reached him and got to work, trying to remind himself over and over again that he was being ridiculous. That he had no reason to be nervous.

 

He knew that tonight wasn’t a date per se and that he technically didn’t have any expectations that needed to be met, but that didn’t stop him from wishing that things were different. That it was a date and that he did have expectations that he needed and wanted to meet.

 

He caught sight of his beanie then, still lying on JB’s desk where he’d left it almost an hour ago. He wasn’t sure if he would even need it tonight, but he’d taken to carrying it around with him recently, keeping it in his back pocket just in case of emergencies. He toyed with the idea of leaving it behind, wondering if, after all this time, he would need to start wearing it around her again? Would he need to build up his walls? Hide parts of himself from her? The parts that had changed?

 

“There you go.” He felt JB straighten his collar next and a warm, crooked smile formed on his lips when she brushed her hands over his shoulders in a one, final flourish. She stepped aside and this time Jughead smiled when he saw his reflection staring back at him, thinking that he actually looked pretty decent despite all.

 

“Now,” JB said, reaching up to fix his hair, “Let me give you some advice.”

 

“Advice? You know this isn’t a date, right?” he reminded her. “We’re just meeting up as friends.”

 

“Yeah sure, of course.” JB said with a smile and Jughead grimaced slightly when he heard her murmur under her breath something that sounded a lot like “whatever you say.” He did his best to ignore her and to remind himself that she was wrong.

 

No. He couldn’t let himself go there tonight, because it definitely wasn’t a date.

 

 

~•~•~

 

 

Pops Choklit Shoppe was situated along the main road leading into and out of Riverdale. From the Southside it was a fairly long, but easy ride on his motorbike, one that Jughead had completed many times over both past and present.

 

As the retro diner came into view, Jughead was greeted by the bright neon lights and a nostalgic feeling that he couldn't suppress even if he wanted to. The familiar sight made him remember what Betty had said to him all those years ago. About how the diners bright lights always kept the darkness at bay. He sighed and pulled his old, leather jacket around him more securely, knowing that he needed that now more than ever.

 

When he pushed the door open, his senses were immediately flooded with all the familiar and comforting sounds and smells he remembered from his childhood. At this time, the Diner was mostly empty, with only a handful of tables occupied by young families and groups of gossiping Riverdale High students.

 

He scanned the room and a jolt of happiness and relief shot right through him when he noticed that all the booths lining the front windows were unoccupied. He approached the one in the middle – their one – and slid into it.

 

He sat still, attuning himself to the kitchen noises, the soft music and quiet conversations that filled up the background and atmosphere while he waited. Everything felt so soft, so easy and so uncomplicated, just the way he liked and remembered it. He sighed contently and closed his eyes, only opening them again when he felt a hand resting on his shoulder.

 

"Evening Jug, get you your usual?"

 

Jughead recognized the familiar voice immediately and looked up to see the diner’s owner; Pop Tate smiling down at him.

 

"No, not tonight Pop, I’m actually meeting someone,” he said, smiling when the older man raised an eyebrow at him curiously.

 

“I should of guessed seeing as you usually sit at the counter,” Pop chuckled, “Is it someone special?”

 

Maybe. Hopefully, Jughead thought before he smirked and shook his head a little. “You could say that, I suppose.”

 

“Ever a mystery hey, Nighthawk?” Pop chuckled, his lips twisting into an almost knowing smile when the younger man simply smiled in response, “Well, I'll come by to take care of you when you're ready.” the older man said a beat later, heading off to tend to his other tables.

 

Still grinning to himself, Jughead had barely settled back into his seat when he heard the bell above the door ring out again. He looked up, as if on instinct, and his heart almost stopped when his eyes fell on Betty, dressed in light blue jeans and a pale pink sweater, a style and sight he was so remarkably familiar with that it actually made him feel like he was sixteen again. Like she was still his. Her blonde hair was tied up this time, but it was different. More relax and slightly tousled from the zealous wind outside and despite what he had told himself before, seeing her like this, right in front of him, he couldn’t stop his stomach from doing a series of somersaults or his mind from wandering to those places, especially when she looked at him and smiled crookedly. He reached up to tug on the ends of his beanie only to drop his hand a second later when he remembered that he’d left it at home.

 

“Okay, get a grip Jughead,” he mumbled to himself, somehow finding the composure to return the smile with ease.

 

“Hey Jug, I ... I haven't kept you waiting have I?” Betty asked as she approached the booth and slid into the seat opposite him.

 

“Hey and uh, no -” he cleared the nervousness from his throat, “No, you haven’t kept me waiting. I was early. You look amazing by the way.”

 

She smiled sweetly and thanked him and told him he did as well, her cheeks flushed with pink by the time she was done. Clearly relieved.

 

They passed their time with some small talk afterwards, letting the awkwardness and the nerves that seemed to plague them both slowly fade away until the air between them was charged with something Jughead couldn’t place, but welcomed all the same. It felt different from their first meeting at the workshop, enough to make him feel calm and to realize that his anxiety earlier was ridiculous to begin with. When Pop Tate found his way back to their table to take their order, Betty beamed at him happily and wasted no time jumping up to give him a long and massive hug.

 

"Betty Cooper as I live and breathe, I should've known it would be you!” Pop said happily, hugging her back with all his might. “How have you been, Darlin’?”

 

“Good,” she said brightly, “I’ve been good.”

 

Jughead watched the exchange, his body tensing and feeling noticeably warm when he realized how normal a scene like this would’ve been to him at one point. Truthfully, he wasn’t that surprised, coming to Pops in the past had always ensured that he would think about her. About them. About the past and despite the sorrow and the nostalgia it caused him, he didn’t stay away from this place, always wanting and needing to remember. He barely heard a single word they said to each other now, as memory after memory came flooding back.

 

They would always meet here, usually after a long and laborious day spent at school. They would sit on the same side of their unofficial booth, his arm draped over her shoulders and her lips pressed against his neck. When Pop came over to their table he would order a cheeseburger and fries and she would order a grilled cheese with fries that he would inevitably have to finish. Exchanging warm, deep kisses and soft words and laughter through it all. They would share a strawberry or vanilla milkshake and sometimes a slice of cherry pie for dessert and when he would take her home on the back on his motorbike, he would kiss her and tell her that he loved her under the lamp post outside her house, both of them drenched in its soft orange glow. She would whisper it back to him later that evening after he’d climbed the ladder up to her room and slip beneath her bed covers to cuddle and eventually fall asleep beside her.

 

Tonight though, she didn’t order a grilled cheese, but a burger and a vanilla shake like him and while anyone else would’ve been disappointed that this decision didn’t exactly mimic the past, he couldn’t help but smile happily at the change. Especially when Pop brought their food out and she started eating it without a hint of shame, no longer having to worry about what Alice Cooper had to say.

 

 

“So,” Betty said once Pop was out of earshot. “Are you going to tell me how you got Manny’s shop?”

 

Jughead smirked and swallowed his mouthful of burger. He’d almost forgotten that he’d promised to tell her how that happened one day. He couldn’t blame her given the amount of history they shared there.

 

“Are you sure you want to know?”

 

“Well, is there a reason why I wouldn’t?” she asked.

 

“No,” he shrugged a shoulder, “It’s just kind of a long story.”

 

He noticed that she didn’t seem phased by that fact. If anything she looked even more interested in finding out, something he found intriguing and rather amusing.

 

“Does it look like I’m going anywhere?” Betty replied, her tone and manner almost teasing, though he couldn’t be sure.

 

Jughead chuckled at that, fully aware that she had no intention of backing down and that there was no point in trying to convince her to. So he didn’t but, and he wasn’t exactly sure where the idea came from, instead of just spilling his guts to her like she hoped he would, he decided to have a little fun with her instead.

 

“Come here,” he said softly, scooting over a little to make some room for her. His response stunned her for a moment, her throat working hard to swallow before she slowly stood up and moved to sit down beside him, close enough so that he could smell the hints of vanilla on her skin, see the soft blush on her cheeks and feel the natural warmth radiating from her body. He leaned in a little closer then, silently hoping that she couldn’t hear his heart pounding against his chest. “Would you say that Pop’s hasn’t changed at all since you left?” he asked quietly.

 

She pondered the question for a brief moment, chewing on her bottom lip while she looked around the retro space, gauging her surroundings.

 

“Not I can see. Everything still looks the same to me,” she admitted. His lips twitched into a smile.

 

“Well, if you can spot the one thing that has changed since you left, I’ll tell you the story. The whole thing.”

 

Betty looked at him quizzically, an amused half-smile forming on her lips.

 

“And if I don’t find it?”

 

He shrugged.

 

“Well, we’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.”

 

She giggled and settled down next to him, silently accepting the challenge as she started to look around the room. He watched her closely while he waited, following her sharp green eyes as they scanned over every inch of the diner, looking for even the slightest change. They’d played this type of game before as nothing more than a fun way to test their observation skills back in the days when they fancied themselves as Riverdale’s very own investigative duo. He wondered idly if she still remembered that.

 

“The sign,” she smirked. “That sign is different.” She pointed to a neon sign hanging on the wall opposite them. The same white neon sign that used to be red. His megawatt smile told her that she was right.

 

“Well done,” he said, chucking warmly when Betty grinned and clasped her hands together triumphantly, “I’m not surprised though, you were always really good at that game, Betts.”

 

She looked at him then, her eyes soft and shining with appreciation. It was a debilitating action given that she was sitting right next to him now.

 

“Thanks Juggie, but you were always better.”

 

It took him a second but he eventually smiled in return, not just because of the compliment or because she’d just used her old nickname for him once again.

 

He smiled, simply because she remembered.

 

 

When a rather enthralled looking Pop Tate appeared and brought them a slice of cherry pie to share and told them that it was on the house, Jughead could’ve sworn he saw the older man wink at him almost knowingly before he sauntered away. Luckily Betty was too busy prodding him for answers about Manny’s shop to even notice. She was still sitting on his side of the booth, close but not too close, patiently waiting and ready to listen.

 

He sighed, supposing he couldn’t delay it any longer.

 

“It’s nothing special actually. I’d just finished my first year of college when my mom called and told she was moving back to Riverdale with JB. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, I just figured they were sick of Toledo or they just missed me or something. I didn’t think anything was actually wrong.” he heaved out a despondent sigh then, an action that made Betty frown slightly, “When my mom told me she was sick I didn’t know what to think at first, I just did what I had to do. I dropped out of college and I started doing some part time jobs so JB could go to school. I worked for Archie’s dad, took pictures for The Register sometimes, I tended the bar at the Whyte Wyrm. I even worked here for a while, flipping burgers of all things. Manny, of course, could always be counted upon and when he gave me a job working at his shop, things stabilized for a while.”

 

“Juggie …” Betty whispered brokenly, her hand covering his when his eyes dropped to a small amount of space still between.

 

“After … after my mom passed away, I was convinced that child services were going to take JB away from me. We were living in my family’s old trailer that was barely habitable to begin with and I’m pretty sure working as a small town mechanic probably wouldn’t have been enough to support both of us on our own.” He paused when he felt Betty clutch his hand tightly then, slowly bringing his eyes back up to hers before he continued, “I was terrified, Betty. More than words could ever describe. Until I showed up for work one morning and Manny called me into his office and told me he was moving back home to Chicago to be with his family. When he gave me his entire shop and then his apartment after that, I couldn’t believe how unbelievably lucky I was and, technically, things have been looking up for us ever since.”

 

Betty didn’t react immediately, but then again, she didn’t have to, the sad and sympathetic look in her eyes clear and unmistakable. He’d seen that look before many times over. It was true that there weren’t a lot of people who knew the entire story or knew exactly what had happened to him over the years, but those who did, never failed to express their pity in some way. Whether it was real or not remained a mystery to him.

 

With her, it was different though. It was genuine.

 

They sat in silence and he waited, wondering if she would say that she understood. That she knew how he felt or if she would just sit there and make the same old promises so many people had already made before her, but had never kept. Maybe she would do both. Maybe she would do nothing at all.

 

He smiled and was about to remind her not to feel too sorry for him when she suddenly lifted her other hand and gently brushed back the thick strands of hair off his forehead, her thumb gently stroking over the back of his hand, sending waves of pure electricity through his skin and every inch of his body.

 

“I’m so sorry, Jug.” she whispered then, brushing her fingers ever so lightly along the line of his grizzled jaw.

 

He felt like he needed to pinch himself and confirm that all of this wasn’t a dream. That the last couple of hours wasn’t a figment of his imagination like he feared.

 

So he did. He pinched himself when she wasn’t looking and never before in his entire life had he been so happy to feel any kind of pain.

 

~•~•~

 

 

Seeing as she had walked to Pops, Jughead offered to give Betty a lift home on his bike as soon as they left the diner together and stepped out into the warm summer evening.

 

He reconsidered the idea almost immediately though when he suddenly remembered that she was staying with her mother at the moment. Alice Cooper might be a bit older and more reasonable, but she certainly hadn't lost any of her ire and the last thing he wanted was to cause unnecessary drama in Betty’s life.

 

She waved off his worries with a simple flick of her hand though and hopped onto his bike without a care in the world, happily accepting his leather jacket from him when he offered it to her. When he climbed on next, he had to remind himself to breathe when she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his torso, holding on tight.

 

As they hurtled down the main road towards the town center with the warm wind whipping at their faces, Jughead's mind was racing.

 

Even though he’d promised he wouldn’t go there tonight, all the past two hours had done was confirm what he had been feeling since he’d laid eyes on her for the first time since she’d arrived back in Riverdale. Old feelings were prickling their way to surface again and at this rate there was nothing he could do to stop them.

 

It was undeniable. The way he felt. He couldn't go more than a few minutes without looking at her or finding some way to acknowledge her presence. He could feel her arms tighten around his torso. Her fingers pressing into his skin. Her warm breath tickling the back of his neck. The faint sound of her laughter ringing in his ear when he went just a little bit faster down the stretch of road. He was so aware, so acutely tuned into everything that was her. Even after seven years apart, it was still as effortless as it had ever been before.

 

How could she possibly still have that effect on him?

 

He avoided parking directly under the lamp post when he pulled up to the curb, but that alone couldn’t stop his throat from constricting or his mind from recalling an abundance of memories when she climbed off his bike wearing his jacket. He felt dazed, almost like he was tumbling down a steep, never-ending hill, catching glimpses of the girl that used to be his as he went. It was the best feeling in the world and, unsurprisingly, he never wanted it to end.

 

“Jug?”

 

The sound of her voice startled him a little and when he realized that he was still sitting on his bike, he climbed off and joined her on the sidewalk.

 

“Sorry about that, I was just -” that’s when he spotted it, a tarp covering something parked near the garage, the shape of it barely visible in the darkness, but distinctive enough to capture his attention. “- what’s that?”

 

Betty’s eyebrows knitted together before she looked over her shoulder, trying to figure out what he was referring to until she spotted the tarp covered object as well.

 

“Oh, that? That’s just the old Mustang my dad and I tried to fix up once.”

 

“Oh right, that 60’s era one your dad picked up at scrapyard once. You guys never finished that?” Jughead asked, following after her when she started walking towards it, his interest clearly piqued.

 

“Yeah, unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance, it was kind of hard to find the time after the divorce,” she explained, the corners of her mouth pulling into a soft, but unmistakably sad smile.

 

Jughead sighed and then he grimaced and, much like the last time he said something stupid in front of her, he wanted to figuratively punch himself in the face. He was just about to apologise for opening old wounds when she lifted the tarp up enough to reveal the dented hood and cracked windscreen. All things considering, the car didn’t look that bad, although he hadn’t seen the engine yet and he was certain that it would look worse for wear, especially after seven years of being abandoned.

When he looked at her this time, he remembered how important this actually was to her. She loved this car and working on it with her dad when she was young. It was the first of many stepping stones that ultimately led to her love of cars today. So if seeing it unfinished and rotting away like this made him feel sad he could only imagine how she must feel.

 

“Have … Have you ever thought about trying to restore it again?” he asked, moving around to the front of the car.

 

“I was thinking about it,” Betty said with a smile, “Maybe when I’ve got the money and the time I’ll get around to it.”

 

Jughead smiled at her crookedly then, a sudden and brilliant idea washing over him like a massive wave.

 

“We could do it together if you want. I know some people who could help get any of the parts we might need.”

 

“Really?” Betty asked with a grin, her green eyes shining with unexpected delight. “That’s a really nice offer, but don’t you have other projects that you need to work on?”

 

“I do, but I wouldn’t worry about that, I’ve got people who can handle all of that. Working on something like this would be a real challenge,” he noticed that she seemed mildly dubious so he moved closer until he was standing beside her, “Come on, Betts. Let’s do this, together. I probably won’t be able to get much done without you around anyway.”

 

Betty scoffed lightly and in a way that sounded a lot like she didn’t believe him, but she smiled at him warmly anyway.

 

“You’re really sure about this?” she asked, pressing him gently. Jughead smirked at the question and folded his arms across his chest as he leaned back against the hood.

 

“Wouldn’t have offered to do it if I wasn’t being serious, Betts.”

 

He expected her to agree excitedly or to nod and say thank you, maybe. What hadn’t crossed his mind was the possibility of her literally doing anything else. Which is why when she stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist, it took him longer than normal to respond. When he eventually moved and slipped his arms around her as well, he couldn’t help but smile when she nestled her head against his chest, eliminating the remaining space between them completely.

 

“Thank you,” she whispered into the material of his shirt, her voice soft and thick with pure appreciation.

 

“You’re welcome,” he whispered back, breathing her in and holding her close, secretly never wanting to let her go again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!!! Xx


	6. Unspoken Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter six is here!!! As always a massive thanks to my beta @fictitiousoshine for reading this over with me!!! Hope you all enjoy!! :) Xx
> 
> Warning: minor mentions of violence.

The following morning, Betty lay in her bed, staring at a soft ray of sunlight spilling through the gap in her curtains. 

It was early when she had woken up an hour ago, far too early for her to be awake anyway, considering how late she had gone to bed the night before, so she decided to stay put for a while. She watched the light as it shimmered off the endless specks of dust floating around her room and after a few more minutes of aimless staring, she rolled onto her back and sighed quietly. 

She’d barely gotten any sleep and as the result of that, she was completely exhausted. In fact, it was a miracle she’d gotten any rest at all, seeing as a good chunk of her evening had been spent thinking about Jughead and their dinner together long after he’d hopped onto his bike and disappeared from sight.

Ever since he’d come by the Register that day to apologise for not reaching out sooner, and to suggest that they have dinner together - to make up for all the time they’d lost over the years - Betty had spent countless hours feeling both, surprised and endeared by his actions. They were unexpected, but in the best way possible and she afterwards she found herself wondering what it would be like to go to Pops with him again after all this time.

What would they say to each other? What would transpire between them? Would there still be a modicum of familiarity there? Would they find their footing with each other again? Or would they be nothing more than two strangers sitting on opposite sides of an old, retro booth?

 

Thinking about the possibilities had left her feeling almost giddy at first, similar to the way she used to feel back in high school when they were still together and in love and things had been vastly different. It had all come back to her in a flash and as easily as breathing, bringing with it the wealth of memories that should’ve had made her feel happy or nostalgic at the very least. But after the giddiness had worn off, all those memories had done was make her heart ache and feel a hollow, because in the end that’s all they were. They were just memories.

Like with anything she did these days, she would have to be cautious and prepare herself for any outcome, even the one where Jughead could be a stranger to her, should it ever occur.

 

Strictly speaking though, this dinner wasn’t a date. Betty knew that and despite the fact that her friends had encouraged her to “see where it could go” with Jughead, for a number of reasons she wasn’t going to get her hopes up just yet. Not when there was so much left to explain and so much uncertainty floating around between them right now. She was committed to taking things slow, making sure she tested the water properly first before jumping in.

 

Of course, Veronica kept on filling her head with the idea that this dinner was de facto a date ... or that the dinners like this could very well be considered dates in the future. It really, really wasn’t helping, especially when a small part of Betty started to believe her.

 

Betty sighed at the thought and despite how she felt, she couldn’t stop a corner of her mouth from tilting up into a half smile. She could still hear Veronica’s voice in her head, trying to convince her that she didn’t have to be scared or why she didn’t have to take it slow, because - according to her, anyway - Jughead’s feelings were still there, present, and Betty just had to coax them out of him again.

 

Maybe one day she would actually try.

 

Admittedly, she was tempted to try and coax them out a lot sooner than she had originally planned after she had arrived at Pops that evening and saw him sitting there – beanieless, and in their booth of all places - with his deep, midnight blue eyes fixed on her and only her. Of course, the last thing she wanted at the time was to look like a total, blithering idiot in front of him, but naturally, she had forgotten how to breathe the second their eyes locked. Somehow, she found a way to keep herself remarkably composed though, even when he looked at her the way he always used to and smiled crookedly - simple, common actions that caused her heart to leap right into her throat without an ounce of hesitation.

 

Remember, this isn’t a date.

 

Even though Betty had had told herself that several times already, she’d ended up repeating those words to herself over and over again for the entire time she had been with him the last night, because a part of her - no matter how small - secretly wished that it was a date, and she couldn’t help but wonder if at any point, a small part of him felt the same way as well.

Everything had taken her by surprise. Every scenario, every conversation she’d had imagined that could possibly occur hadn’t even come close to what actually had transpired between them within the confines of that old booth.

To a certain extent, things started out the way she expected them to. Both of them had been nervous, a little shy and slightly awkward, making basic small talk to pass the time in the beginning, until all of that shyness and awkwardness had slowly gone away. Until they had felt comfortable, almost familiar again and until the anxious air around them had settled. When Betty asked him about Manny’s shop again, she’d been expecting to hear a funny or intriguing story to explain the mystery behind it all. What she hadn’t expected to hear was the story he had told her instead.

 

Hearing about what had happened to his mother was a shock in more ways than one. Being away from home, Betty obviously had no idea that Jughead’s mother had been sick or that she was even in Riverdale back then, but what had surprised her even more was that Jughead had chosen to tell her all of this so readily. It had stunned her, completely and rightly so, because after all of this time he still trusted her enough to tell her things that were personal and clearly sensitive.

She could tell that it had been painful for him, that what he and his sister had been through had been really hard on both of them, so much so that Betty couldn’t helped but react, placing her hand over his and giving it a gentle reassuring squeeze when she saw how heart broken he was. She sat there and listened after that, trying her best to understand, her heart breaking for him with every word.

 

Thinking about that conversationnow made a lump of pure guilt form in the very pit of her stomach. Jughead still trusted her. After all this time he was prepared to let his guard down, to be vulnerable around her and it killed her knowing that if he had asked the same thing from her, she probably wouldn’t be able to do it. It had nothing to do with him though. He was fantastic. He definitely wasn’t the problem. It was her and all the insecurities she had now. One day perhaps, she would be brave enough to tell him everything. To let him back in completely. If she felt safe enough.

Not that she hadn’t already let him back in to a certain degree, of course.

 

After only three meetings and a handful of text messages, he’d already found his way back into the parts of her heart that were reserved for him and only him. Even something as simple as wearing his leather jacket or playing that little game inside Pops again or riding on the back of his bike or the prospect of them working on that old 60’s era mustang together, and her hugging him for what felt like hours on end was enough to help Betty forget. To left let her feel warm and happy and secure again, if only for a little while. He did that. Only he could do that for her and that fact alone was enough for her to almost believe that Veronica and Archie were right. That there could be a future there, between them.

 

Betty frowned then and her fingers started to curl into her palms when she suddenly remembered the walls that she’d built up over the years. The same walls that were still very much in place, holding back all the things that she didn’t want to face and all the unspoken things she still needed to say.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, pushing the thoughts away as quickly as they formed before she threw back the covers and got out of bed.

 

 

A long, relaxing shower.

That was exactly what Betty needed right now - or at the very least, that was what she thought she needed right now - but sadly, standing underneath a steady stream of hot water didn’t dampen out the world around her, or stop her from thinking like she had hoped it would.

With a despondent sigh, Betty stepped out of the shower and toweled herself off, making sure that her hands were always busy. That they were always curling into something other than her palms. She wrapped the towel around herself then and approached the sink, releasing a soft, but still shaky breath when she slowly lifted her eyes up to the mirror and spotted the scar again.

 

Being careful, she traced her fingers over the jagged white line like she always did whenever she saw it, grimacing as images of what she had looked like before she had healed, kept creeping in and out of her mind no matter how hard she tried to stop them.

 

She could still see the bruising, the streaks of blood on her face and the deep gash right above her eye as clear as day. She remembered the dull pain swirling around inside her head and the way her eyes had started to sting from all the tears she’d shed that day. She remembered the intense fear that had gripped her heart, twisting and squeezing without mercy. But most of all, she remembered that it was all her fault.

“No,” Betty whispered brokenly, “No ... this wasn’t your fault. None of it was your fault.” 

She repeated the words to herself for a minute and then she stopped, feeling her chest tighten to the point where she could hardly breathe and fresh tears formed in the ducts of her eyes as she succumbed to her nightmares again. She dropped her now shaking hand back down to the edge of the sink and reached for her makeup bag at once, quickly working to cover up the scar along with all the unwanted emotions and memories, forcing them way back down until she couldn’t feel or think about them anymore.

 

~

 

Betty was a little surprised to find the house completely void of life when she came downstairs. She looked around, searching for any sign of her mom until she remembered that Alice was visiting a friend out of town and that she wouldn’t be back until Monday.

 

Betty rolled her eyes at the thought. How could she forget that - given that her mother had toyed with the idea of not going (because she didn’t want to leave her daughter all alone) until Betty had put her foot down and basically forced her mother out the door. In a way it was nice to have the house all to herself for a change, because while her mom had improved over the years and technically only did what she did because she meant well, Alice Cooper still had a tendency to be a little too overbearing at times.

Betty made her way into the kitchen next to make herself something for breakfast when her phone suddenly beeped. She pulled it out, silently hoping that it wasn’t Veronica already trying to press her for details about the last night, and a warm smile spread across her lips when she saw a new text from Jughead instead

 

_J: Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for last night. It was really nice seeing you again._

 

Betty’s grin widened a little more and her heart fluttered in her chest just a little as she leaned back against the counter and typed out a response.

 

_B: It was great seeing you as well. I had fun last night. :)_

 

It wasn’t a lie. All things considered, it really had been great seeing him again even if it had dredged up some unwanted things from the past, confused the living heck out of her and turned her whole world completely on its head. Still, she wanted to see him, to be around him, to find any excuse she could to make it happen.

 

_J: Good, I’m glad :) - so I have some new about the car ..._  


 

The car. The old 60’s era Mustang that her father had once promised they would fix up together, but sadly never did. She hadn’t forgotten about Jughead’s unexpected offer or how the idea of them working on it together - like they used – made her heart swell and made her feel genuinely happy for the first time in a very, very long time.

Even so it surprised her to learn that Jughead had already made progress with it, seeing as they’d only looked over the car and agreed to the arrangement last night.

 

_B_ _: Wow ... that was fast._

 

His reply was almost immediate.

 

_J: Yeah ... after last night I kind of got stuck into things right a way. I hope that’s alright._

 

Alright? It’s more than alright, Betty thought with a bright smile and quickly typed back her response - not even bothering to try and contain the mild excitement coursing through her body now.

_B: No, no that’s really great! What did you manage to find?_

 

_J: Well after we had a look at the car last night, I made some notes when I got home and then I got a hold of one of my contacts this morning. He said he can get us any of the parts we might need when we need them. I’ve ordered a few already it just might take a couple of weeks to get them up here._

 

By the time she finished reading the message she was so overwhelmed that she could hardly think of what to say next, completely blown away by how amazing Jughead was. That was what she loved about this whole situation more than anything else. She loved that he remembered how important this was to her. Working on that car was something that had defined her, making her who she was today and she loved how he knew that not finishing it had hurt her deeply. So him practically begging herto do this with him - was the most endearing thing anyone had done for her in a very long time.

She was about to reply when another message came through.

 

_J: So, I figured as soon as the parts get up here, we could get started, maybe?_

 

Betty grinned down at her phone broadly, typing back her response without an ounce of hesitation this time.

 

_B: Sounds perfect, I can’t wait!_

 

_~•~•~_

  

_Her head was still throbbing and her heart was beating so fast that it was feeling like it was going to burst right out of her chest at any moment, but that didn’t stop her from moving forward and getting where she needed to go._

 

_After taking a bus to New York City and two separate taxis to get where she needed to go, she was beyond relieved when she finally found Archie and Veronica’s apartment building._

__

_The rain hadn’t subsided though. She was soaking wet and freezing cold, which was why she shouldn’t have been surprised when Veronica opened the door and practically fainted at the sight of her._

 

_“B?” she breathed in disbelief, taking in her friend’s haphazard appearance and the relatively fresh cut above her eye before she spoke again, “Oh my god - What ... what are you doing here? What the hell happened to you?”_

 

_If it was even possible after the day she’d just had, more tears formed in ducts of Betty’s already tired eyes and her lungs started close up on her as she sobbed uncontrollably, collapsing right into Veronica’s arms as the raven-haired girl wrapped them around her friend and held her close._

 

_“It’s - it’s a really long story, V and I really don’t want to -”_

 

_“- Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay,” Veronica whispered._

 

_That was all Betty offered her friend and that was all she was willing to say on the topic, for tonight at least. Regardless, Veronica comforted her for a long moment before she ushered her inside and told Archie to shut up when he walked into the living room and tried to ask questions._

 

_“But I don’t -” the red head tried to argue._

 

_“- Please, not now Archie.” Veronica chastised, quickly leading Betty away._

 

_~_

 

_“Is she alright? what the fuck happened to her eye, Ronnie?” Archie whispered sometime later, clearly a little unimpressed that he’d been kept out of the loop._

 

_“I have no idea, babe,” Veronica whispered back, concern lacing her voice, “I tried asking her earlier, but she just started crying and said she didn’t want to talk about it.”_

 

_“Do you - Do you think someone did that to her?” Archie asked, a degree of hardness in his voice now._

 

_“Maybe,” Veronica murmured, “I’m not sure.”_

 

_Even inside the isolated confines of the guest bathroom, Betty could hear them whispering just outside the door. She’d had a long shower already and changed into the warm pajamas Veronica had given her earlier, all the while purposefully avoiding looking in the bathroom mirror. She didn’t want to see her reflection._

 

_She listened to them talking for a while longer, aware that they were worried beyond words, and that they were only trying to help and understand what had happened to her. She would’ve told them everything if it wasn’t so fresh and painfully present in her mind right now._

 

_When Betty stepped out of the bathroom a short while later, she noticed Archie looking highly determined as if he was about to ask some questions and demand some answers. But then to her surprise and relief, his demeanor changed within seconds of him seeing her and before she knew it, he was giving her a hug and asking if she needed anything._

 

_After asking Archie to make them both a cup of tea, Veronica led Betty into the spare room where a first aid kit was already waiting for them on the bed._

__

_Betty sat down on the edge of the bed while Veronica inspected the wound carefully, her heart twisting and after seeing her friend grimace at first, Veronica was cautious. She cleaned the cut in relative silence, but after a while, she looked at Betty, anxiously, and practically begged her for answers._

 

_“Please B, just tell me what happened. Did someone do this to you?”_

 

_Betty released a shaky sigh then, wishing with all the might she had left that she could find the strength to say something. She looked at her friend pleadingly then, desperately asking her without saying a word to stop and understand that what she had to say wouldn’t be easy to admit to anyone. Not even her. To Betty’s relief though, Veronica conceded without a fight and gave her a long hug instead, whispering that she was sorry for whatever had happened._

 

_Betty felt safe here with her two best friends by her side, ready to protect her, but after everything she’d just been through, she didn’t want to be alone which was why she more than welcomed Veronica’s offer to sleep beside her for the evening._

__

_Sleep alluded her though. She could barely close her eyes without seeing him standing over her with that angry look in his eyes. She wished she could forget the image. The pain. She wished she had seen the signs earlier, or that she’d managed to read the situation differently and prevented this whole thing from happening. Maybe then, this, none of this would’ve happened and she wouldn’t be here in this situation._

 

_“This is all your fault!” he had yelled at her with so much ferocity that her ears started ringing, “You led me on! You fucking made me do this!”_

 

_Veronica startled awake when Betty started to cry again and it was only then, in the faded light and 2am silence that engulfed their bedroom that her resolve cracked and she broke down, finally opening up to her best friend about what had happened. All of it._

__

_Everything._

 

_~•~•~_

 

It was still early in the afternoon when Betty drove her Jeep over the train tracks and into the Southside.

 

It had been a little more than two weeks since her notdinner date with Jughead at Pops; and in all that time she’d kept herself remarkably busy by burying herself neck deep in her work; and by avoiding the people who could be avoided, as well. The days had been slow and long and nothing of note had occurred for the most part. In fact, the most noteworthy thing that had happened in those fourteen days, happened on the Monday following their dinner together, when Tripp had come by to tow her old Mustang over to Manny’s shop.

 

She remembered watching him from her bedroom while he hooked it up, smiling at him when he’d looked up and waved. A thrill of excitement sparking inside her when she watched him drive off minutes later, because she knew that she was just a little bit closer to seeing Jughead again.

 

Her regular texting with him had started right back up again after that.

 

They mostly spoke about the car and all the plans they had for it at first, but those short conversations quickly turned into long, fun and more carefree ones. The kind that filled up the really slow parts of her day and stretched into the late hours of the evening. Not a day went by when they didn’t talk about something at some point now. It was almost like they were trying to find any excuse they could, to talk, to reach out to each other, and it was little details like that, that made her feel like she had stumbled into a dream. The kind of dream she hoped she would never want to wake up from again.

 

In keeping with her thoughts and feelings from earlier though, she wasn’t going to get overly excited or be too expectant of what could possibly come from them spending time together like this. They were friends for now and she could treat him like one and keep her thoughts in check while they were alone, right?

 

 

When she pulled into the lot outside Manny’s, she noticed that it seemed rather quiet - a lot quieter than she had expected it to be it had been or than when the last time she visited. Betty parked the car anyway and slowly got out, wondering if she had misread the text Jughead had sent her earlier that day asking her if she would like to come over so that they could start working on the car together.

 

She tugged on the hem of her t-shirt a little nervously and took a few uncertain steps towards the workshop, looking around until she spotted a woman standing near the entrance, staring at her phone in hands and leaning her back against a wall. A woman with long, loose flowing black hair who Betty recognized almost immediately.

 

“JB?”

 

The woman looked up immediately, a huge smile forming on her lips when she did.

 

“Betty?” JB put her phone away at once and hurried forward, engulfing an overwhelmed Betty in a massive hug that almost toppled them over, “Oh my god, hi! How are you?”

 

“I’m - I’m good thanks and yourself?”

 

“I can’t complain.”

 

Both women pulled back from the hug then and Betty grinned when she saw Jughead’s little sister; Jellybean, or JB as she preferred to be called, up close now. She was stunning - as beautiful as Betty predicted she would be - and even though it had been years and a lot had happened to her in that time, she still seemed to have that same fun loving and infectious energy she’d always had as a child.

 

“I’m amusing, you’re here to see Jay?” JB said happily, “He told me you would be coming by this afternoon.”

 

Maybe it was the way JB said it, or maybe it was the knowing look she had in her eyes when she did, or maybe it was the fact that she had just revealed (intentionally or not) that Jughead had spoken about her. Maybe it was all of that and a whole lot more, all rolled into one. In any case, Betty’s lips pulled into an involuntary smile and her cheeks warmed, inadvertently giving Jellybean the answer she was looking for.

 

“Yeah,” Betty said, trying not to sound too sheepish, “He offered to help me fix up this old car of mine and asked me to come over, but I think I misread the text he sent me earlier because this place looks kind of abandoned. Shouldn’t there still be people working?”

 

“Oh no, don’t worry, you didn’t misread anything, he’s still in there. He just lets everyone work half days on the weekends,” JB said with a laugh, “I wish I could stick around and help you guys actually, but I’ve already made plans with someone.”

 

As if on cue, a pickup truck arrived in to the parking lot then and as soon as Jellybean saw it, she smiled with pure excitement and said goodbye to Betty, giving her a quick hug and a not so subtle wink before she hurried off towards the vehicle.

 

Betty smiled as she watched her go, a small part of her wondering if this was simply a coincidence or if all of this was part of an elaborate plan to ensure that she would end up spending the evening completely alone with Jughead. It wouldn’t be the first time JB had pulled a stunt like this before, actually. In fact, the youngest and most mischievous member of the Jones family used to love leaving Betty and Jughead alone all the time when they were kids. Although thinking about it now, she was certain that, that was how she and Jughead had probably started dating in the first place.

 

Once again, that on it own was enough to make her smile.

 

When Betty went inside the workshop a few minutes later, the first thing she heard was the soft music playing in the background. Apart from that though, it was quiet, large parts of the faintly lit space filled with the cars that still needed to have work done on them.

She went in a little further, heading towards a source of light emanating from a far corner of the garage, fairly certain that she would most likely find Jughead there. But when she turned the corner and actually found him though, she wasn’t remotely close to being prepared for what she saw.

 

He was shirtless for a start, dressed only in a pair of jeans and some combat boots. He was leaning over the car’s open bonnet, his large hands gripping the sides of it while he examined the engine. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared unashamedly for the longest second ever, taking in his still lean, but hard and well-defined torso, his broad shoulders and the strong lines of his back. And of course, he’d chosen not to wear his beanie again, because he apparently loved giving her heart attacks these days.

She couldn’t help but notice the new array of tattoos that adorned his skin now as well. Aside from the vicious two headed snake shaped to look like an ‘S’ on his one shoulder, he had some kind of intricately designed tribal swirl tattoo wrapped around his other shoulder and upper arm and a large tattoo of his surname inked down the side of his body in cursive letters as well.

 

Betty swallowed thickly at the sight, thinking that both additions made him look even more attractive than he had before, if that was even possible. Well, fuck! How the hell was she supposed to treat him like a friend and keep her thoughts in check when she knew that he looked like that underneath all that flannel?

 

She moved a little then, gritting her teeth a second later when the bottom of her shoe connected with the floor wrong, producing a very loud, very noticeable squeak that bounced off the walls and echoed around the entire room.

 

Jughead lifted his head as soon as he heard the noise, straightening up almost immediately when he saw Betty standing there, staring at him.

 

“Oh, hey Betts,” he quickly grabbed his t-shirt then and Betty somehow managed to disguise how mildly disappointed she was when he slipped it back on, “Sorry I uh - I didn’t hear you come in,” he added, taking a few steps towards her.

 

“Oh um,” she cleared her throat and tried her best to compose herself, which was even harder to do when she happened to notice the faint blush that stained his neck and cheeks now, “No, that’s fine - I probably should’ve called out or announced myself or something.”

 

He smiled crookedly and took few more steps forward, wrapping his arms around her in a warm hug as soon as he got the chance. Betty returned the hug without hesitation and nestled herself into his chest, breathing him in when he ran his hand over her back, letting herself forget and revel the moment for however long it would last. She’d missed him quite a bit over the last couple of weeks. She’d convinced herself that it wouldn’t be hard for her to be away from him for any length or period of time anymore.

Naturally, she was completely wrong.

 

“So, you ready to get to work, Cooper?” he asked after a while, pulling back a little to look at her.

 

Betty stiffened a little, memories of all the times he’d said those exact words to her all those years ago flittering in and out of her mind now. It suddenly dawned on her that they actually were completely alone in Manny’s shop, working on a car in very close proximity to each other like the last seven years hadn’t even happened.

She nodded anyway and smiled up at him as best she could in response, too tongue tied by it all to even try and speak.

There was no denying it, she was in serious trouble.

 

Of course, things only deteriorated further, and after only a couple of hours of working together Betty was spinning. She could barely control her breathing, let alone concentrate on actually helping him fix the car. Even her inner grease monkey couldn’t take the control and help.

 

Every brief glance they shared. Every time their shoulders brushed by mistake or their hands accidentally touched, her already pounding heart would tumbling down into her stomach. It was crazy to think that he could still affect her like this. That being alone with him could debilitate her so much. It was the same feeling she had felt that night at Pops whenever he had smiled or looked at her, when they’d held hands and when he’d shown trust in her. But it hadn’t been to this extent or intensity.

 

In fact, Betty was sure that if he didn’t suggest they take a break when he did, she probably would’ve passed out from the lack of oxygen or spontaneously combusted on the spot. One of the two or both if possible.

 

After leaving her alone for a while, Jughead came back with a couple of beers for them and Betty eagerly accepted the drink when he offered it to her. She wasn’t a massive drinker by nature, but she figured a little alcohol might take the edge off and help her calm down a bit. It couldn’t hurt to give it a try anyway.

 

She leaned back against the side of the Mustang then and took a good swig, her lips twisting slightly at the bitter taste of the beer.

 

“Still not a fan, hey?” Jughead commented, smirking as he leaned back against the workbench.

 

Betty smiled into another sip, recalling how he’d said something very similar to her nine years ago when they had tried beer for the first time and she had almost spat it out.

 

“It’s fine. I’m just getting used to the taste, that’s all,” she replied almost teasingly, pretty much like she had back then.

 

“Whatever you say Betts.” Jughead laughed, “It’s okay if you don’t, I’m not much of a drinker either. Never have been.”

 

Betty simply nodded in response, not missing the way his blue eyes dimmed a little then. At this point anyone else probably would’ve asked him why, but she didn’t have to, because unlike most people, she already knew the answer - having witnessed it with her own eyes.

 

“I bumped into JB earlier, by the way,” she said, trying the subject when a short but pregnant silence fell between them. “She’s still a ball of never-ending energy even after all this time,” she added, grinning to herself when she remembered the way JB had almost tackled her to the ground earlier.

 

Jughead chuckled and took another swig of his beer, his lips stretching into a smile that thankfully reached his eyes.

 

“I’m not surprised,” he said, “I don’t think she’ll ever lose that and to be honest I don’t want her to. It’s one of the few things that kept me going over the years.”

 

“Oh,” Betty said quietly, that guilty feeling forming in the pit of her stomach once again when she thought about what he’d been through, “Well then, I’m really glad you had her around, to help with your mom and everything.”

 

“Me too. Things would’ve been really hard if she hadn’t been here.” He smiled crookedly then and Betty’s stomach tightened slightly when he stepped towards her, “I’m sorry about that night at Pop’s, by the way. I didn’t mean to dump all of that on you without much warning.”

 

Betty frowned slightly, worried that he didn’t trust her like she thought he did and that he regretted telling her about his mother - until she saw the nervous and uncertain look in his eyes. He leaned against the side of the car as well, standing as close to her as he could without being intrusive, his eyes watching her intently. Almost as if he actually believed he’d scared her off by opening up like he had.

 

“You don’t have to apologise, Juggie, I wanted to hear it, remember?”

 

“Yeah, I mean I don’t regret talking to you about or anything, I just felt like I might’ve, I don’t know ... over shared at some point.”

 

“You didn’t,” Betty reassured him, she touched his arm gently then, hoping that it would be enough to quell his fears, “I promise you didn’t, I just ... I just wish I could’ve been here for you as well.”

 

Jughead smiled at Betty and she had to resist every fiber in her body that made her want to reach up and brush back the strands of hair that fell into his eyes when he dipped his head. He lifted his hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and she held her breath in anticipation as her green eyes flickered between his blue ones and his lips.

 

“You’re here now, Betts. That’s all that matters to me,” Jughead whispered softly then, his eyes falling to her lips now as well.

 

This was it. She wanted to kiss him. God, she really wanted to kiss him so bad that she could barely hold restrain. In a matter of seconds, she forgot everything she had been telling herself since their dinner at Pops, because now, every part of her wanted him to take a risk - to push aside his uncertainties and press his mouth to hers in a sure and certain kiss. But as soon as he brought his hand back to her face and tried to trace the line of her eyebrow - that eyebrow - with the tips of his fingers, everything, all of it all caught up with her and she chickened out, dropping her head and breaking eye contact immediately.

 

“Hey, you okay?” Jughead asked, his voice tinged with concern now. she nodded and he retracted his hand almost immediately, making Betty feel like an even bigger heel than she thought she was already. God, she had a way of screwing things up sometimes.

 

“You sure?” he pressed.

 

“Yeah sorry, I’m okay, Jug ... I’m fine.”

 

He nodded with understanding, but she could tell that he didn’t exactly believe her. Thankfully though, he left the topic alone and smiled instead, taking another sip of his beer.

“Okay, well while we’ve still got a minute, I wanted to ask if you’d like to come to the Serpents annual camp-out near the Sweetwater River next week?”

Despite what had just happened, Betty couldn’t help but grin happily at the idea of going. She could still remember the Serpent camp-outs she had been to during High School days, as clear as day. Every member of the Southside Serpents from the immediate area would be there, grilling food; swimming in the water; talking and telling stories around a massive bonfire. It was a ridiculous amount of fun and some of the best moments she had experienced back in high school had been there.

“I didn’t think the camp-out would still be a thing after all these years,” she said, not missing the nervous chuckle that escaped Jughead’s lips. “Are the Serpents even around still?”

 

“Not officially,” he chuckled again, “There’s technically only a handful of us left, but we still like to keep certain traditions alive.”

 

She smiled at that. Jughead did love his traditions and keeping them alive was always something he strived for.

 

“Well I haven’t been to a camp out in ages, so, yeah ... I’d love to go.”

 

Betty watched as his face slowly lit up, almost as if her saying those words to him had single-handedly saved his life or something. She could see the thrill in his eyes, and the smile he gave her made her feel unbelievably warm. Complications aside this is what she wanted. She wanted to spend more time with him wherever and whenever she could. Besides, it was the least she could do after that awkward moment between them earlier.

 

“Oh that’s - that’s great then! I promise you won’t regret it, Betts,” Jughead said with a slight smirk. He finished off the last of his beer then and Betty handed him her mostly empty bottle when he offered to throw it in the trash for her.

When she watched him walk off, her body lurched like a roller coaster, all the emotions inside of her twisting around on a never-ending loop.

They had almost kissed, and he had almost seen her scar.

 

Those were probably two of the most fundamentally important and terrifying things that had happened to her in months. She knew that she needed to talk to him, that she couldn’t hide all these unspoken things from him forever. It was clear that they couldn’t stay away from each other anymore. Well she couldn’t, anyway. Not after tonight and everything that had and had almost happened. She just needed time and she only hoped that he could give her that, and understand.

 

“So, should we carry on working now?” Jughead asked when he came back a beat later, picking up the next part off the workbench, “It’s getting a little late, but I don’t mind carrying on if you don’t.”

 

Betty bit down on her bottom lip while she looked at him. Even though she knew she would only be torturing herself if she decided to stay here with him for another hour or two, she couldn’t for the life of her find a good reason to say no and go home either.

“I think I can spare a few more hours.” she said, tightening her ponytail as she went back to the front of the car.

Smiling, Jughead joined her, the two of them falling back into their previous work related stride within mere minutes.

 

Oh yes, it would be torturous, but it would be worth it.

 

It would definitely be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and comments are always appreciated!!! Thank you!! Xx


	7. Sweetwater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time for the Serpents camp out - information is revealed and things take an interesting turn. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to say a massive thank you to my awesome beta @fictitiousoshine for all the hard work she puts in to editing this story of mine and working with me, and I’d like to give a shout-out to my good friend @sweetbettycooper for being my writing buddy and a constant source of moral support.

 

 _Obsessive_  isn't a word people would normally use to describe Jughead Jones - but _passionate_?

Now that was another thing entirely.

 

Writing had always been his greatest passion, but he was passionate about a lot of other things as well including cars - especially old, vintage cars - which is why when he spotted that 60's era Mustang hidden underneath that tarp - just sitting there, practically challenging him to restore it to its former glory - he saw an opportunity and he took it without even batting an eyelid.

 

Now, it was all he could think about. That and how he'd be spending a lot of time with Betty - which, unsurprisingly, was another reason why he'd jumped on the opportunity when it came along in the first place.

 

They'd spent about an hour looking at the car after their dinner at Pops, diagnosing its problems together.

 

It was fairly late when he arrived back at the garage and after climbing the stairs up to his apartment and tramping inside, he'd seriously thought about going to bed for about five minutes until he had noticed the half open door leading to his study and ultimately to his laptop where all the information he could ever need to start fixing up Betty's car was patiently waiting for him.

 

He'd clenched his jaw then, his eyes briefly drifting between his bedroom door and the door to his study, before he'd dropped his helmet and his leather jacket on the couch and headed towards the latter.

 

Whether intentionally or not he'd stayed up til dawn, painstakingly searching for the parts they needed and for any more useful information he could get his hands on. Sure it probably came across as a little excessive or maybe even silly to someone on the outside looking in, but something inside him had clicked and he was determined to make good on his offer to help Betty restore that car no matter what.

 

When JB found him later on that morning, passed out with his face pressed into his laptops keyboard and surrounded by a sea of papers, she wasn't remotely surprised by the discovery until she woke him up and found out exactly why he was like that.

 

"So wait, let me get this straight, after your dinner last night you just randomly decided to help Betty fix up an old car of hers and then you spent the rest of the evening doing research on it?"

 

Jughead nodded. He could feel JB's eyes following him as he moved around the room, gathering up all of his efforts from last night and stacking them into a pile. He could also sense how excited she was by the news simply by the tone of her voice, no doubt feeling a little smug as well seeing as the advice she'd given to him to just talk to Betty had clearly paid off.

 

"Well did you find anything?" JB asked after a moment, trying to press him for information when he didn't offer any more.

 

Jughead smiled at that.

 

After all the effort that had gone into his search last night, coming up empty handed would've been the most disappointing outcome imaginable and for a second there it looked like that was going to be the case, because as it turns out, trying to find genuine parts for a 1965 Ford Mustang was pretty damn hard - a lot harder than he thought it was going to be anyway - and if he had been doing this for literally anyone else, he probably would've given up after a while and gone to bed.

 

But he wasn't doing this for anyone else. This wasn't some random customer. This was Betty. So he kept on looking until his tired eyes eventually stumbled across something. 

 

Of all the places to find what he had been desperately searching for, he'd never thought in a million years that Centerville would ever be that place or that an old car enthusiast who lived there would turn out to be his "savior" so to speak.

 

He'd been wrong plenty of times before in the past, but this time was different, because this time being wrong had given him a start. It was a step in the right direction and even though it would take a couple of weeks to get the first of the parts they needed up here it was a small, slightly inconvenient price to pay and bare through so that he could keep his promise and spend a little more time with the woman who still captivated his heart after all these years.

 

Jughead stopped himself and immediately backtracked on his thoughts, mildly stunned by the unexpected turn they'd taken. Did he really mean that? Did he really still feel that way? He could lie and pretend that he didn't. He could tell himself that she wasn't anything more than just a friend to him now. Thing is though, he'd always been a really bad liar, not necessarily when it came to lying to other people, but when it came to lying to himself.

 

"Jay?"

 

Hearing his sister say his name was enough to snap Jughead back to reality in an instant. He lifted his head immediately and gave it a good shake, blinking his eyes a couple times before he focused them back on his confused and expectant looking sister again.

 

"Ugh sorry JB, it's .... it's been a pretty long night," he apologized, rubbing his drooping eyes gingerly, "What did you say?"

 

"I asked if you managed to find anything yet?" JB said again, taking a step towards him.

 

"Right," Jughead said, letting out an exhausted yawn. He leaned back against his desk then and Jellybean propped herself against it as well, watching him curiously. "Yeah, I uh ... I did actually. There's a guy in Centerville who can apparently get his hands on the parts we need and any others we might need in the future."

 

JB raised her eyebrows at him, clearly surprised.

 

"What?" He asked, his brow creasing together as he stared at her, wondering why she looked so astonished by the news.

 

"Nothing," his sister said with a shrug, a hint of a smile playing on her lips, "It's just well, I don't think I've ever seen you throw yourself into a project like this before. I mean that was pretty quick even for you."

 

"Quick?" Jughead repeated, his already present frown deepening, "What's that supposed to mean?"

 

JB shrugged her shoulders again and pushed herself off the desk, waking towards the door casually.

 

"I think you know the answer to that question already." she said, giving him a knowing smirk and look, the kind that Jughead knew all to well and absolutely detested.

 

He shook his head as he watched her go, his brain barely registering her say that she was off to make them both something for breakfast. If there was one thing he loathed about JB it was her tendency to tease him and be annoyingly tight-lipped when it came to things like this, especially in a situation where the last thing he actually needed was that - a gentle nudge towards the undeniable truth.

 

He probably wouldn't admit it out loud at this point, but he had a good idea of where his little sister's thoughts were going when it came his reasons for helping Betty fix up her old car. Perhaps she was right and he knew the answer already. Perhaps, in addition to satisfying his own personal love of fixing up old, classic cars in his spare time, he was in fact doing this because he still loved Betty and would do just about anything to be a part of her life again.

 

Maybe the answer really was that simple and maybe he couldn't deny it.

 

Not anymore.

 

~

 

After the long night he'd just been through and all the additional stuff that had occurred as well, Jughead decided that a hot shower was something he desperately needed.

 

It took him a while to change into some sweats and a t-shirt, and he was immensely grateful when he walked into the kitchen minutes later and found the fresh coffee, eggs, and bacon JB had whipped for them while he was gone. He sat quietly and listened to his sister ramble on about the up and coming Serpent camp out while they ate together. He tried to take it all in as best as he could even though his mind was a complete mess at the moment, still debating whether or not he should text Betty and tell her what he'd managed to find so far. 

 

He was holding back for a couple of reasons, the first and probably the most ridiculous one being that he didn't want to seem too eager or come across as completely nuts.

 

The thought had occurred to him while he was in the shower earlier and he couldn't help but shudder when he suddenly realized what his passionately driven endeavors might look like to Betty. He knew that she probably wouldn't judge him, but seeing as it had been less than twelve hours since they'd actually made this arrangement, there was still a small chance that she could be a little freaked out if he told her.

 

His second reason, which admittedly made a little more sense than the first, was that it could take at least two weeks to source out the parts and get them up here. It was a minor inconvenience, a delay that he felt she might not need to know about until closer the time maybe. But on the other hand, what would not telling her even achieve, apart from covering up his possibly overreaching actions from last night?

 

Whatever he decided to do, he would have to wait before he could see her again anyway and while it wasn't ideal, he was certain that he could manage another fourteen days without her.

 

Well barely anyway.

 

"I think you should invite Betty." Jughead heard JB say then, pulling him from his thoughts immediately.

 

"What?" He asked, convinced he was hearing things now.

 

"The camp out, you know the one that's coming up? The one I've been talking about for the last twenty minutes?" JB said, shoving a piece of bacon into her mouth without a hint of delicacy. Jughead nodded, his brow starting to crease again "Well, I think you should invite Betty."

 

"Really?" he asked, sounding mildly uncertain.

 

"Well why not?" JB shrugged, "Didn't she used to go to them all the time back in high school?"

 

"She did, but - "

 

"- So whats the harm in inviting her to one now?" Jellybean interrupted, her lips twitching into a smirk.

 

Jughead eyed his sister dubiously for a moment, trying to decipher exactly where she was going with this. Sure, it appeared to be nothing more than a harmless suggestion and anyone else probably would've believed that it was, but if he knew anything about Jellybean Jones, he knew that there was a lot more to this conversation than meets the eye.

 

"Just ... think about it, okay? Personally, I think it would be fun having her there." JB said, winking at him as she stood up and took her plate over to the sink.

 

"I will." Jughead mumbled, smiling crookedly after her, "I definitely will."

 

Letting out a soft sigh, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, somehow convincing himself in that moment to ignore whatever doubts or insecurities he'd had before as he typed out a text to Betty.

 

J: Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for last night. It was really nice seeing you again.

 

Her reply came mere seconds later.

 

He smiled.

 

~~~

 

_"Your turn."_

 

_Jughead held the beer out to Betty, the corners of his mouth twitching up into a smile when she took it and slowly lifted it up to her nose, her face cringing almost adorably with distaste when she sniffed it experimentally._

 

_"It doesn't smell very nice," she commented, eyeing the bottle and it's contents skeptically, "You're sure it doesn't taste that bad?"_

 

_"To be honest, it isn't great, but it didn't taste as bad as I thought it would either. You'll see." Jughead said, laughing warmly when Betty threw him a sideways glance in return, clearly unamused by his teasing. He shifted closer to her on the pebbled stones that lined the rivers edge then, his shoulder pressing into hers once he was near enough, "Just remember to take a real swig like we agreed. Not some half-hearted sip and don't let it sit in your mouth for too long, okay?" he continued, a playful smirk settling on his lips when she sighed and glared at him._

 

_"Right, thanks for the advice." she muttered sarcastically, taking a deep breath before she finally brought the bottle up to her lips._

 

_She didn't like it._

 

_He could tell by the way her body and face twisted with pure disgust and displeasure when she forced the alcohol down her throat that it didn't exactly agree with her. He couldn't blame her. He could still detect the bitterness of the beer lingering in the back of his throat as well and like her he didn't enjoy it either, but seeing as Sweet Pea had gone to so much trouble to get the beers for them in the first place he felt like it would be rude to waste them. He also thought it would be fun to try something new. To be a little reckless for once._

 

_"So I think it's pretty safe to say you're not a fan, Betts." Jughead said, bursting out into fits of laughter seconds later when Betty started rolling her tongue against the top of her mouth to try and get rid of the taste._

 

_"I'm not sure how I feel about it actually, I don't know, maybe I need to get used to the taste or something." she replied weakly, her face scrunching up again when she had another sip. She handed the bottle back to him and he drank some more as well, his own lips twisting into a slight grimace at the unfamiliar taste._

 

_Betty giggled lightly. "Looks to me like you aren't a massive fan either, Juggie."_

 

_Jughead smirked at the comment and when she asked for the beer again, he chuckled and gave it back to her, watching as she took a much smaller sip this time, one that seemed to go down with hardly any issues._

 

_Even though he'd initially had his doubts about inviting her to the camp out, he was glad she was here tonight, alone with him on the banks of Sweetwater River, drinking a beer._

 

_Things probably would've been pretty boring in comparison if she hadn't been around to make it better in every way and naturally, she'd defied his expectations at every turn, clicking with everyone and everything so effortlessly, almost as if she'd been part of the Serpents for years, and nothing made him happier than seeing her so relaxed and at ease._

 

_Jughead watched her quietly for a moment then, noticing the way the flames of the fire he'd made earlier to keep them warm danced and reflected off the green of her eyes, wondering the whole time how he could be so lucky to have her - someone as beautiful and as brilliant as her both inside and out - sitting beside him right now._

 

_"What are you thinking about?" Betty asked softly, keeping her eyes fixed on the flames._

 

_"You," he said honestly, his throat drying out in an instant when she looked at him and smiled warmly, the soft blush staining her cheeks barely visible in the orange glow from the fire, "And why we even decided to drink this," he held up the beer, "In the first place."_

 

_That made her laugh and Jughead couldn't help but fall in love the sound all over again like he always did. He would never get tired of seeing her like this. Happy and without a care in the world._

 

_"Well I believe your exact words were; 'Let's be young and reckless just for tonight, Betts' - I had nothing to do with it."_

 

_"Right, definitely not one of my best ideas," Jughead murmured, leaning back against the the log behind them a sigh, "Bet you're sorry you decided to come tonight, huh?"_

 

_"Oh yeah, I totally regret it now. I mean, what girl wouldn't jump at the chance to spend some time with her boyfriend while drinking really crappy beer." Betty said, rolling her eyes at him playfully before she leaned back as well and snuggled into his side, her head finding a place to rest on his shoulder when he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer._

 

_He knew that she was joking. That she didn't regret it, that she really wanted to be here and he felt his heart fill with contentment at the notion, because having her with him was a absolute privilege no matter the setting or situation._

 

_He often found himself thinking about her whenever she wasn't around. Wondering what she was doing. Craving her company and her gentle touch like a plant craves sunlight and water. He felt restless and incomplete without her nearby and it was nights like these that only helped to solidify an undeniable fact for him, one he'd been holding onto for a short while now._

 

_He looked at her, asking himself whether now would be the right time to tell her or not. He decided to be brave and find out._

 

_"That's why I love you," he said quietly, pausing for a second when he felt her stiffen beside him, "This - all of this is why I love you, Betty Cooper."_

 

_He closed his eyes and held his breath when she pulled back to look at him, convinced that he would see literally anything else except what he really wanted to see. A pregnant silence fell over them then and with every second that passed Jughead could feel his heart thumping against his chest faster and faster._

 

_When she eventually moved, he honestly thought he was dreaming when she straddled his lap and he felt the tips of her fingers brush along the line of his jaw, prompting him to look at her. So he did, his heart stuttering uncontrollably in his chest when he saw the look in her eyes. Clear, steady and unmistakable._

 

_"Jughead Jones, I love you. So much." she whispered slowly, emphasizing each word, before she leaned forward and settled her mouth over his in a strong, love filled kiss._

 

_They got lost in each other then. Hands pulling at clothes, fingers pressing into warm, bare skin and mouths meeting in deep, hungrykisses. The remnants of the beer they'd been drinking long forgotten on the stones._

 

_~~~_

 

Jughead sighed and rubbed his forehead harshly, trying in vain to ease the faint beginnings of a bad headache before it could settle in properly.

 

He glared down at the engine he was working on, thinking that he shouldn't be struggling as much as he was (he was just replacing some spark plugs after all) and yet here he was barely able to concentrate on anything for more than a couple of minutes.

 

The last few weeks had been a total whirlwind for him with seemingly endless days spent trying to keep himself busy while simultaneously struggling to keep his thoughts and feelings in check as well. Ever since he'd sent Tripp off to tow in Betty's Mustang the following Monday after their dinner together, he found that waiting two weeks for those parts to arrive was monumentally difficult.

 

Most days he would bury himself in his work, taking on all the jobs and doing all the paperwork he could get his hands on just to keep his mind preoccupied with something other than the promise he'd made to Betty. Even so, no matter what he did or how hard he tried, at some point someone would ask him about the classic car parked in the far corner of the workshop or his eyes would inevitably drift towards it and he would remember and then think about her.

 

Of course, the daily bouts of texting that started up between them again didn't exactly help either, but as it turns out he really enjoyed talking to her, way too much to even consider stopping anyway.

 

When the day came and the parts finally arrived, they immediately made plans to start working on the Mustang that weekend and even though he'd endured weeks of JB's playful looks and knowing smirks whenever he mentioned Betty or them fixing the car up together, Jughead was sure that he could handle being alone and within close proximity to her without any issues or feelings arising. That is until he saw her standing there in his workshop, quietly staring at him and looking as beautiful as ever in her faded jeans, a loose fitting t-shirt and an old pair of sneakers.

 

He was taking another look at the Mustangs engine at the time and he remembered being shirtless as well. It wasn't planned, he really thought he was completely alone after he'd sent everyone home early for the day and he really believed that he still had a few minutes left until Betty actually arrived. He also remembered the stunned look on her face and the obvious blush that crept over her cheeks when he noticed her and how that encounter set the tone for the rest of the evening.

 

It was hard for him not to feel nostalgic while working beside Betty again and falling back into a rhythm with her was so straightforward that Jughead sometimes felt like they were teenagers again, the two of them exchanging looks and smiles, their shoulders brushing and hands touching by accident while working on a car together long after the shop had closed up for the day. Like everything else they did these days it felt exactly the same, like it did all those years ago.

 

His feelings and the memories would come and go, but they never diminished entirely and it was only when he suggested they stop and take a short break for a while, that he realized how dangerously close he actually was to losing his resolve around her and he couldn't help but notice that she was pretty much in the same condition.

 

Jughead thought about how he'd almost kissed her then, frowning slightly when he did. He had acted on a total whim, spurred on by the clear look in Betty's eyes and how she wished she could've been there for him when his mom was sick and dying. She looked like she wanted him to kiss her and in that exact moment that was all he wanted to do. He wanted nothing more than to stop thinking and give in to his desires for once, but as soon as he caressed her face and she broke eye contact, his heart had twisted with uncertainty and he had backed off immediately.

 

He was sure he hadn't misread the situation and things went back to normal once they started working on the car again, but something he had seen in her eyes, however brief it was, bugged him and he couldn't piece together exactly what it was or why it had caused everything to change so quickly, but he decided he needed to try and find out.

 

"Jug?"

 

When he felt someone's hand grab his shoulder, it pulled him from his thoughts and back to reality in an instant. He looked up and smiled when he saw that it was Tripp, no doubt hanging around like he always did even though the day was almost done and everyone else had gone home already.

 

"Hey man, what's up?" Jughead asked, stepping back from the car he was working on and picking up a nearby rag to clean his hands.

 

"Nothing, I was just thinking, if you wanna take off early I don't mind finishing up here for you."

 

"You sure?" Jughead asked. He checked the clock on the wall and saw that shifts were definitely over for the day, "Isn't you're dad expecting you to be home or something?"

 

Tripp dropped his eyes to ground and grimaced slightly, shrugging his shoulders in a way that Jughead knew meant that he didn't want to talk about it if he could.

 

"He probably is," he said quietly, "Which is why I'd rather stay here for a while longer, if that's okay with you."

 

Jughead nodded, his lips pressing together in a hard, tight line. That was something the two of them had in common unfortunately - if they could avoid seeing their respective fathers, they would take the opportunity every single time.

 

"Sure thing, Tripp," he said, offering him a soft, but understanding smile, "Lock up and stay for as long as you like, you can even crash on the couch in my apartment if you want."

 

"Thanks man." Tripp said with a nod, the worry in his eyes fading away as he stepped forward and gave Jughead a strong, but immensely grateful hug seconds later.

 

~

 

When Jughead walked into his apartment a short while later he smiled when he saw Jellybean sitting on the couch, talking to someone on the phone. He waved at her and went straight into his bedroom, reaching for the bottle of painkillers he kept on his nightstand and taking a couple to get rid of this lingering headache for good.

 

He sighed almost instantly with relief and was about to head off and have a much needed shower after a long days work when JB suddenly appeared in his doorway.

 

"So I just got off the phone with Toni."

 

"Oh yeah?" Jughead shrugged off the flannel he was wearing and threw it haphazardly on the floor, being especially careful to avoid his sister's eyes when he did.

 

"Yeah," JB said, folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the doorframe, "Looks like everything's finally ready for the camp out tomorrow."

 

He nodded, giving her a quick smile. He was actually relieved to hear that, because while watching her run around the apartment for the past week trying to organize everything was pretty amusing it was also mildly annoying and stressful as well. Most nights she was either in a furious rage about something or she was an overly panicked mess about another or sometimes she was both and after only three days he honestly felt like he was losing his mind.

 

"That's great Jelly, I'm glad things worked out in the end." He noticed that JB was still staring at him and when he looked at her again, her lips pulled into a smirk, "What?" he asked.

 

"Nothing," she said, "I'm just happy  you took my advice and decided to invite Betty."

 

Jughead smirked as well, somehow resisting the immediate urge he had to roll his eyes.

 

"Oh I know you are, you've only told me so like a billion times already."

 

"Well I honestly thought you weren't going to do it at one point," she said with a giggle, the same giggle he'd heard way too many times over the last couple of weeks, "Anyway, you eventually grew a pair and did so good for you, oh and I ordered pizza for dinner."

 

"Right, thanks JB." She gave him a kind of mocked salute and as she turned to leave a thought suddenly popped into his head, "Oh by the way, Tripp might be spending the night on our couch again."

 

His sister stopped mid-step and when she turned around to face him all the teasing and playfulness from before was gone, replaced with a genuine look of concern instead. He found her reaction unexpected and rather interesting seeing as Tripp and JB hardly ever spoke.

 

"Is he alright?" she asked.

 

Jughead simply nodded, not offering any more information.

 

"I think so, but would you mind going down to the workshop and checking on him just to be safe."

 

"Um, fine ... sure. Whatever." Even though she didn't sound particularly thrilled by the idea, the worried look in her eyes hadn't diminish either, but he chose to ignore it, deciding that he was probably reading too much into it. "I suppose if you can man up and talk to Betty, I can go and check on Tripp." JB finished almost reluctantly.

 

Jughead chuckled at that, the one corner of his mouth tilting up into a half smile as he watched her go.

 

Truthfully, talking to Betty about this weekend had been a lot harder than JB made it out to be. Ever since she had first suggested the idea to him, he'd been in two minds about inviting Betty to the camp out, but after sharing that moment with her the other night which had left him with more questions than answers, he chose to take a risk and made a quick decision to ask her and thankfully, she said yes.

 

Despite his best efforts after that, he'd been thinking about seeing her again all week and even though he had no idea what would happen tomorrow or what they would even say to each other, especially about that night. He only hoped that the right words would come to him when he needed them too.

 

~

 

Jughead smiled.

 

He loved how beautiful Sweetwater River always looked, especially now with the sun slowly sinking down towards the horizon, casting the sky in a sea of astounding colours.

 

He often came here to think or to read and if he wanted to be alone it was probably the best place to go because he knew that very few people would think to look for him here, but aside from it being his own personal sanctuary of sorts, every year these wild, stone and grassy banks also became a camping site for the few former Serpents who still remained in the Southside.

 

It was a Serpent tradition and while it seemed ridiculous to keep it going seeing as there weren't many of them left anymore, it was still part of their legacy and it kept them all together, giving people like him who didn't have much of a family or any at all, something to rely on and trust in. That reason alone was more than enough to keep it alive.

 

He could see some people already setting up tents and tables in the distance and he chuckled to himself when he spotted JB in the thick of it all, diligently commanding them. He shook his head, expecting nothing less from her.

 

Having stalled his arrival long enough, Jughead climbed off his bike with a sigh and as he made his way over to his friends and family his gaze shifted just a little, landing on the last person he thought he would see now. He froze as soon as he saw her, feeling his stomach tighten almost painfully with nerves as he watched her set up some chairs around the main bonfire pit with his good friend Toni Topaz. He didn't think she was real at first, but the longer he stared at her the more he came to realize that she was. That he really was staring at Betty Cooper right now, beautiful as ever, bright smile, blonde ponytail and all.

 

He wasn't expecting her to be so early or to look even more stunning than she had the last time he saw her. He thought he still had a couple of hours left at the very least to try and prepare himself properly, but here she was, already turning every expectation he had for this evening on it's head. He swallowed a little nervously and forced himself to move forward.

 

He wanted to take his eyes off her and ignore the feeling overloading his senses in that moment, but he couldn't and he realized that from here on out he was completely screwed no matter what he did or told himself.

 

"Well look who finally decided to show up." Toni said when she saw him approaching and Betty looked up, smiling (a little shyly Jughead noticed) when she spotted him as well. "Nice of you to finally join us Jones, I thought I was gonna have to get Sweet Pea to drag your ass over here." his friend teased, giving him a hug once he was close enough.

 

"I bet you did." Jughead said with a smirk, hugging her back.

 

It was an inside joke. Anyone who knew him well enough, knew that social gatherings of any kind weren't necessarily his cup of tea. He was a loner by nature and while spending the evening alone in his apartment reading or writing was something he would normally prefer to do, he was willing to make an exception for this camp out for a few reasons. One of them being the opportunity to spend some more time with a certain blonde who hardly left his thoughts these days.

 

By the time Jughead pulled back from the hug, he saw that Betty was already making her way over to them. He watched her, smiling just a little when he noticed that she was fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt, a sure and adorable sign that she was probably feeling slightly insecure.

 

"Gotta say, I didn't think I'd see her at one of these things again," Toni said, nudging her head in Betty's direction. Jughead frowned and when he looked at her in question, Toni held her hands up in defense, "Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy to see her again, I just didn't think I'd see her here, you know," she paused then and smirked at him knowingly, "Although, I guess I shouldn't be that surprised."

 

"Toni -" Jughead began with a sigh, fully aware of what his pink haired friend was implying, but before he could get another word out Betty stepped into view, distracting him long enough for Toni to slip away unnoticed.

 

Maybe it was the time of day or the peaceful setting or maybe it was something else entirely, but the first thought that popped into his head was that she looked absolutely gorgeous. Especially her eyes. He couldn't help but notice them and how the soft, golden sunlight that surrounded the two of them only served to highlight how green they already were. His heart squeezed and it took his breath away.

 

"Hi," she said quietly, giving him a dazzling smile that knocked the all remaining air out of his lungs in an instant, "You okay?" she asked when he just stood there for a minute or two and didn't say anything.

 

"Yeah, no, ... I'm fine - all good." Jughead sighed and quickly stopped himself, reaching back to rub his neck self-consciously, "Sorry." he apologized and Betty giggled much to his relief.

 

"It's fine, Juggie." She wrapped her arms around his torso in a warm hug then and for the first time in the last five minutes he relaxed and breathed her in, willing his heart to slow down.

 

"I see my sister wasted no time putting you to work." Jughead said against her ear, giving her a smile when they both pulled back from the hug.

 

"Yeah, but it's okay," Betty said with a giggle, "She actually came by the register earlier in the week and asked if I wanted to help set up so I kind of knew what I was getting myself into."

 

"Right, of course." Jughead lips stretched into a wide, toothy grin.

 

He wasn't remotely surprised to hear her say that. One, because JB getting involved in this in any way she possibly could was something he'd definitely been expecting and two, because the Betty Cooper he remembered had never been the type of person to shy away from hard work and he was really glad that that hadn't changed. He wanted to tell her that and how it made him happy, but as his luck would have it his sister showed up before he could, ordering him to go and help Sweet Pea gather up some wood for the camp fires.

 

"I should probably get back to what I was doing before anyway." Betty said keeping her tone measured - probably because she could see how annoyed he looked.

 

"Yeah, I guess," Jughead nodded reluctantly, wishing that they could just skip over everything and be alone again. He sighed when Betty touched his arm affectionately, but when she turned to leave, he reached for her hand and grabbed it, holding her back, "So I'll see you later then?" he asked, searching her eyes for any sign of hesitancy when she looked back.

 

Of course there was none.

 

She squeezed his fingers gently in response, giving him a genuine and reassuring smile, the kind he hadn't seen in a very long time.

 

"I'll see you later." she promised and he smiled with relief and anticipation, finally letting her go.

 

 

 

Jughead spent the next hour or so collecting pieces of wood in Fox Forest and stacking them up in piles around the camp site with Sweet Pea lumbering along by his side, all the while listening to his once brooding and angsty friend gush like a love sick puppy about how his amazing wife is and how great it feels to finally be married.

 

Normally, Jughead would tune out Sweet Pea's heartfelt ramblings (mostly because he'd already heard it all before) but tonight his friend actually said something that caught his attention and really stuck with him.

 

"I'm telling you man, once you find the right person, nobody else matters. It's like, everyone else just ... pales in comparison, you know."

 

At the time Jughead had simply nodded along like he always did, but unlike any of the previous times, Sweet Pea's words actually invaded and consumed his thoughts long after they'd been spoken, giving him something to think about while they carried on working.

 

He'd never believed in the concept of soulmates before, but the more he thought about it now the more he started to wonder if there wasn't some degree of truth or possibility behind it. There had been other women over the years. Not a lot though and none of them had made it past a second date. Back then he'd made up all kinds of excuses about why there wouldn't be a third date or sometimes even a second, but looking back on it now, Jughead couldn't recall any of the excuses he'd used except the one that kept coming up; None of them were Betty Cooper.

 

It was dark by the time they finished and as they made their way back to the camp site with the last heap of logs, Jughead believed that his duties for the evening were done which meant that he could go off and find Betty again, that is, until he remembered the other obligation that usually came with being at an event like this.

 

Socializing wasn't his thing. He wasn't a social butterfly and while he didn't mind talking to people under the right circumstances, he still wasn't a massive fan of it either. Especially if there was something else he would rather be doing, but after being stonewalled by Sweet Pea and Toni into catching up with some former Serpents, Jughead had no choice, but to plaster on a grin and struggle through it.

 

He only caught glimpses of Betty throughout the evening. Moments where their eyes would briefly meet and they would exchanged smiles, each one long enough to distract him temporarily and fuel his desire to keep the promise they'd made to see each other again later and after almost two hours of fake smiling and small talk, he was beyond relieved when he finally managed to escape.

 

He found Betty down near the rivers edge. She was alone, sitting beside a small fire she'd probably made herself and he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her, his heart coming to complete and utter standstill when he realized where she was sitting. It was their spot. The same place where they had exchanged and consummated their first 'I love you's' and he couldn't help but wonder why she'd chosen to sit there and what it could possibly mean if anything.

 

Is she trying to kill me? Jughead thought with a groan. He tried to stay calm as he made his way over to her, frantically wiping the palms of his hands on his jeans when they started to sweat. She heard him coming thanks to the crunch of the stones beneath his feet and a bright smile formed on her lips when she glanced back and saw him.

 

"I see you found my hiding place." she said, scooting over a little to give him some space and Jughead chuckled lightly as he sat down beside her, glad that he wasn't the only one who wanted to hide for a bit.

 

"Sort of, although I'm pretty sure finding you was more out of luck than actual skill," he admitted, his mouth lifting up into a crooked smile, "I'm sorry for ghosting on you all night by the way, Toni and Sweet Pea kind of -"

 

"- Cornered you," Betty finished for him, giggling when she did, "I saw. Don't worry JB basically did the same thing to me as well."

 

Of course she did, Jughead thought, smiling and giving his head a slight shake. "Nice to know some things never change." he said.

 

Betty nodded in agreement.

 

"It is actually, I didn't realize how much I'd missed these camp outs and well, all of this," she gestured around herself vaguely, "In general until now."

 

"I'm guessing you didn't get to do a lot of this in Rhode Island or New York then?" he asked and Betty shook her head, her lips twisting slightly.

 

"No, not at all."

 

It was the way she said it, softly and almost with regret, that caught Jughead's attention and it suddenly dawned on him that now might be the perfect time to ask her about her time away or to talk about the other night. If she felt comfortable enough or even wanted to discuss it, of course.

 

"What was it like being there instead of here?" he asked after a while, keeping voice quiet. His tone uncertain.

 

He looked at her cautiously when she didn't say anything right away, wondering perhaps if there was a good reason why she hadn't spoken about New York or Rhode Island with him yet or if asking her about it would give him answers he didn't want to hear. He could picture each scenario and possible outcome in his head, but he didn't retract the question. He wanted to know and to understand what had caused things to change the other night and he only hoped he hadn't ruined everything.

 

Betty closed her eyes and when she exhaled heavily a second later, he swallowed thickly, feeling his stomach clench, worried that he'd crossed a line

 

"In a word, it was different," she said then, the sound of her voice, void of anger or irritation, relaxing him instantly, "It was pretty loud. Crowded. A little scary at times, because of how big and rushed everything suddenly felt. I think I probably got lost like a billion times in the beginning," she admitted with a soft smile and he grinned as well, shifting a little closer to her, "But you get used to all of that after a while. The lifestyle. The people and the kind of culture that comes with living in a big city and things do get better once you find your feet and start to fit in. Providence was a little better than New York in that respect though, but ..."

 

"But?" Jughead asked, gently pressing her when she stayed quiet longer than he expected her too. A solemn look fell over Betty's face then and he watched as she raised her hand up to her eyebrow - that eyebrow - almost absentmindedly, only to drop it when she realized what she was doing. She took a deep breath, composing herself before she spoke again.

 

"But ... if you look hard enough you'll eventually start to see the cracks in everything around you and once you see them it's kind of hard not too anymore," she turned to look at him and even though she was trying really hard to hide it, he spotted the vulnerability in her eyes and in that moment he wished he could take it all away, "I won't lie. It was hard, Jug and nothing like we thought it would be." she whispered.

 

"Did something happen? is that why you came back?" Jughead asked softly, scared of what he might hear her say next, but her lips pulled into a smile instead, taking him by surprise.

 

"No, I came back because, despite everything we believed back then, I actually missed being here. I missed the people and doing stuff like this. Riverdale is my home. I guess it just took me a while to figure that out."

 

Jughead nodded, understanding what she meant to a certain extent anyway. They had always planned on leaving Riverdale together back in high school and in the end only one of them did, but apparently staying here, in the town they both wanted nothing more than to leave behind, turned out to be the better option.

 

He still didn't understand why though. It was clear that she had been through something and it was also clear that whatever it was she didn't want to talk about it or she wouldn't easily anyway. His heart ached just looking at her and he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his chest, hold her close and tell her how sorry he was for all of it. That he wished he could've been there for her and that everything would be okay now. That He would make sure of that somehow.

 

"You know what else I missed doing though?" Betty asked him, grinning as she reached forward and started untying her shoe laces. He noticed and a curious smirk formed on his lips when she pulled off her sneakers and stood up.

 

"What's that?" he asked, but she didn't say anything and both of his lungs practically collapsed on him seconds later when she unzipped the sweat shirt she was wearing and removed the t-shirt she had on underneath as well, discarding both garments on stones beneath her feet, leaving her in nothing but a pale pink bra and a pair of jeans.

 

"Going for a late night swim." Betty said over shoulder. She made her way down to water then, removing her jeans and also discarding them on the ground as she went.

 

Jughead swallowed thickly and blinked his eyes as he watched her with shellshocked disbelief.

 

He could feel his body tense and stir with want and his heart was pounding so rapidly that he almost expected it to burst right out of his chest at any moment. He was imagining things. He had to be. Going for a swim in Sweetwater River was something they used to do all the time together back in the day. It was a personal tradition of theirs, but having his ex-girlfriend strip down to her underwear right in front of him like that was the last thing he ever expected to happen, especially tonight.

 

He gaped at her as she slowly waded into the water, the moonlight reflecting off the glassy surface of the river adding to the scene and aesthetic in the best way possible, and the only thought that crossed his mind in that moment was how unbelievably alluring and irresistible she was to him. She was sexy as hell and he suddenly wondered why he was just sitting there, staring instead of sprinting into that water after her.

 

He stood up, tugging off his own hoodie, t-shirt and pants before he kicked off his shoes in double quick time as well, deciding to rectify that detail immediately.

 

The water was really cold. More so than he remembered it being in the past, but Jughead found that he could barely focus on anything right now, not when he had an almost naked Betty Cooper treading water less than a meter away from him. Despite how dark it was he'd gotten a pretty good look at her before she'd gone into the water, noticing the subtle, but still glorious changes to her already shapely body. Like how impossibly long her legs were now and the fullness of her breasts. She was unreal and positively stunning in every single sense of the word and he swallowed around the massive lump in his throat a the thought, suddenly thankful that he was neck deep in ice cold water.

 

"What?" Betty asked, her voice just above a whisper and tinged with self consciousness when she noticed him staring at her.

 

"You're just ... you're so fucking beautiful, Betts." he whispered, not caring in the slightest that he had just admitted way more than he probably should've. He wanted her to know the truth, that even after all these years he still saw her. All of her and who she really was and that she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

 

Betty giggled and smiled shyly, moving closer to him until they were only inches apart, close enough that he could see the endearment in her eyes when she looked at him.

 

"You're not too bad yourself, Juggie."

 

He tilted his head upwards, his lips pulling into a lopsided smile and for the first time since he'd gone into the water, he felt warm.

 

~

 

Activity around the campsite had ceased almost entirely by the time Jughead and Betty made their way back up there. Some of the fires were still burning, bottles and paper plates littered the ground and a few drunken Serpents were still regaling tales of the old days somewhere in the distance, their muffled voices and laughter drifting on the air.

 

They were still damp and freezing from their impromptu midnight swim and never before in his entire life had Jughead been so happy to see a tent, an inflatable mattress or a sleeping bag and he was sure Betty felt the same way seeing as she was still shivering beside him even with the extra hoodie he'd given her to wear. When they stepped into the tent together, he expected to see JB fast asleep in her sleeping bag - not to find it empty instead, but he shrugged it off as nothing, assuming that she had probably gone over to Toni's tent and passed out there.

 

He went back outside while Betty changed into her pajamas and she kept her face pressed into her pillow while he quickly changed into some sweats to sleep in. By the time they said goodnight to each other and went "bed", Jughead found that he couldn't fall asleep. He'd completely forgotten about this part of the evening and after everything that had happened between them over the last couple of hours, trying to share a tent with Betty without his sister there to act as buffer turned out to be hard. Very hard.

 

He sighed quietly and dragged his hand over his face out of frustration. No matter what he did now he couldn't stop thinking about her and what she had said to him tonight. He kept replaying it all over in his mind, picking apart the details in an effort to try and understand them a little more. Sure, she hadn't given him as much information as he had been hoping for, but she had given something and he was grateful for that if nothing else.

 

Jughead exhaled heavily and shifted within the confines of his sleeping bag then, trying and failing to get comfortable. With nothing else to do, he glanced in Betty's general direction and stared at the spot where he had last seen her before their tent had been engulfed in darkness, wondering if the time they'd spent together had affected her as well or if she was struggling to sleep just as much as he was right now.

 

"Jug?" he blinked, thinking that he had simply imagined Betty's voice until he heard her move around as well, "Are you awake?" she whispered.

 

"Yeah, I am." He whispered back, rolling onto his side. He squinted his eyes into the darkness, wishing he that could see her, "Is everything alright?"

 

"Not really, I can't seem to fall asleep," she confessed quietly and Jughead raised his eyebrows at the admission.

 

"Oh?"

 

"Yeah, I um ... I think I'm still a little cold from earlier actually."

 

It was an interesting excuse, but it wasn't misplaced either given their little swim and that the seasons were shifting from Summer to Autumn meaning that the nights were indeed getting colder. It was the way she said it that caught his attention though, almost as if she wanted something more than him offering her another blanket or hoodie to sleep in. He wasn't sure what to do until a completely ridiculous and insane idea formed in his head suddenly.

 

 _Could that really be what she wants?_ Jughead wondered. There was only one way to find out.

 

"Well, you could um ... come over here and warm up for a bit ... if you, you know, want to." He offered, stumbling over the words as he said them and hating himself for it.

 

"Really?"

 

"Sure, I uh ... don't mind at all." And he really didn't. Not in the slightest.

 

He heard Betty get up then and immediately unzipped his sleeping bag, scooting over to give her some space. When she slipped in beside him mere seconds later, he half expected to gasp awake and realize that he had been dreaming this whole time and that the entire conversation they'd just had was nothing more than a figment of his overactive imagination. It was hard to believe that any of this was real especially when he felt her cuddle into him and drape her arm over his bare chest, holding onto him the same way she used to. He gently snaked his own arm around her waist then and she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.

 

"Better?" Jughead asked once she was settled and Betty nodded in response, snuggling in just a little bit more.

 

They stayed like that for what felt like ages, neither of them saying anything, and as the minutes ticked by he slowly attuned himself to her again. To her soft breathing, her smell, her warmth and the way her fingers liked to stroke over a small patch of his skin absentmindedly. It was incredible how easily it all came back to him and he suddenly realized the full extent of how much he had missed doing this with her. 

 

"I'm sorry, by the way." He heard Betty say then, the softness and vulnerability in her voice breaking him out of his rivière immediately.

 

"Sorry?" Jughead repeated.

 

"About what almost happened between us the other night while we were working on the car."

 

Oh.

 

He hadn't been expecting that. With everything they'd already spoken about and done tonight, he'd made a decision not to bring it up yet, now though he was curious and a little nervous at the same time to hear what she had to say about it.

 

"Don't be. I'm sorry if I did anything that made you feel uncomfortable." Jughead said softly, wrapping his other arm around her and hugging her close.

 

"No," Betty said at once, breaking away from him and pushing herself up slightly, "No no, you didn't do anything wrong, Juggie. You never have. You're not the reason why nothing happened that night so please don't ever think otherwise."

 

"I don't understand," His eyes had adjusted to darkness around them by this point and when he saw fresh tears forming in her eyes, he panicked and quickly brought his hand up to her cheek, caressing it warmly to try and comfort her, "Hey, it's okay, whatever it is. Whatever you want to say you know you can talk to me about it." he said softly, his tone pleading; letting her know that he was there for her no matter what.

 

Jughead searched her eyes and waited patiently for her response. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on or how he could help or if he even could help, but he still wanted to try at the very least. He was trying to think of something else to say when Betty pushed the hair off his forehead and he saw the look in her eyes suddenly change, shifting into something that made his stomach tighten with knots and he was sure he had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen next.

 

"Betts ..." He murmured, but the rest of his sentence disintegrated in his throat when she lowered her mouth to his.

 

It didn't feel real at first. Her lips were so soft and budding against his that he had to open his eyes for a second just to make sure she was really there, kissing him the same way he'd only imagined her doing in his dreams lately. She moved and settled herself on top of him then, her body effortlessly cuddling his when his hands gripped her hips gently and instinctively pulled her towards him. She moaned softly and pressed herself against him in response, her fingers running through his thick strands of unruly hair when he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips and she opened her mouth for him, deepening the kiss and sending his heart and soul into a state of pure hysteria.

 

This was a hallucination. A dream. It had to be. He was confident this time, so much so that he decided he never wanted to wake up again. That he could stay in this exact moment forever and be eternally happy.

 

They pulled apart slowly then, both of them taking long, steadying breaths to try and calm themselves down.

 

"Sorry." Betty mumbled, clearly still trying to catch her breath. She rested her forehead against his and Jughead opened his eyes when she did, smiling up at her crookedly.

 

"Don't be," he said with a throaty laugh, sounding just as out of breath as she was, "You feeling alright though?"

 

She opened her eyes and looked at him, nodding. "Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?"

 

He nodded as well and even though his heart was racing a mile a minute and his mind was a massive jumble of thoughts and questions that he wanted answers to, he decided to hold off on getting them for now. He could see that the kiss had affected her as much as it had affected him. He could see that she wanted to talk about what it meant just as much as he did and he was very tempted to bring it up until he saw Betty try to stifle a yawn.

 

"Yeah, I'm good too, but I think we could both use a little sleep maybe. It's been quite a day."

 

"And night." Betty agreed with a weak nod, letting out another yawn that she didn't even bother trying to stop. He chuckled softly and helped her move and pretty soon she was tucked into his side with his arms wrapped around her once again, allowing her to drift off to sleep in only a matter of minutes.

 

He stayed awake for a while longer, still trying to wrap his head around the last five hours of his life. It was a lot to process and take in and after this particular moment there was no doubt in his mind that he and Betty definitely had a lot to talk about now, but only when the time was right and it made sense. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off or make her feel uncomfortable in any way and if that meant he would have to wait before he could discuss this, he would without question.

 

He sighed then and turned his face towards her, pressing his lips to her forehead gently before he finally closed his eyes and slipped into blissful unconsciousness, completely unaware of what would happen tomorrow or how things would change in the fresh light of a new day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d love to know what your thoughts so free to leave a comment!! :) Xx

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr @night-hawk94


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